Grand-pères
grandfathers · maple dumplings
Québécois dough dumplings simmered in maple syrup, a simple dessert associated with sugar-shack season. Its French name means “grandfathers,” though the reason for the name is uncertain.
About this dish
Grand-pères is a Québécois dessert of dough dumplings simmered in maple syrup, associated with maple and sugar-shack traditions. Its name means grandfathers, but the reason for that name is uncertain; no invented origin legend is needed.
Recipe
Québécois maple grand-pères
Dough
- 250 g flour
- 30 g sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 50 g butter
- 200-230 ml milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Poaching syrup
- 450 ml pure maple syrup
- 250 ml water
- 1
Dough: 250 g flour; 30 g sugar; 2 tsp baking powder; plus the remaining ingredients listed for this component. Mix dry dough ingredients and rub in butter. Stir in vanilla and enough milk for a soft spoonable dough. Keep butter cold, mix dry ingredients evenly and start with lower milk. Stir only until flour disappears; dough should drop softly, not be kneaded.
- 2
Poaching syrup: 450 ml pure maple syrup; 250 ml water. Bring maple syrup and water to a gentle boil in a wide pot. Drop 12 spoonfuls of dough into syrup with room to expand. Use a wide pot, dissolve syrup evenly and leave space between equal scoops.
- 3
Cover, reduce to a gentle simmer and cook 15-18 minutes without lifting the lid, until dumplings are cooked inside. Keep a quiet simmer and lid closed until minimum time; cut one for fluffy cooked center without raw batter, then continue covered if needed.
- 4
Serve warm with the cooking syrup. Spoon syrup over servings and let it cool slightly because it remains very hot.
Note
Use real maple syrup. A wide pan prevents dumplings crowding and sticking together; hot syrup can burn.