Fall for Mallett’s Maple Pepper – from Tuna to Mashed Potatoes

I LOVE patio living, especially eating outdoors (al fresco dining if you need to be sophisticated about that whole thing). And although the warm evenings of summer are becoming a distant memory,  my husband and I were looking for a few items we could snack on in the great (albeit urban) outdoors.

Eating outside has to be easy – it can’t be overly fussy or it loses a bit of its charm. No complex dishes, but the flavours still need to be ‘there’ (and in some cases one could argue that the flavours need to be even more pronounced to match to intensity of the fall bounty).

For anyone looking to add these more intense flavours but not the complexity of grilling and dining outdoors, give the Maple Pepper series from Mallett’s Gourmet a try.

These seasonings all have a pepper and maple base (shocking!), but there are other flavours incorporated that add some fairly unique elements to dishes. We were feeling especially adventurous, so we picked up some scallops (Nova Scotia’s finest of course!) and some tuna and headed home to see what we could whip up.

Before we started cooking, I took a look at the Mallett’s Gourmet website, and had the opportunity to chat with James Mallett about his product. Originally from the UK, James and his wife Michelle were on a trip to New England, and found a product blending pepper and maple. Seven years later, when they moved to Nova Scotia, they realized they found the perfect market – and there wasn’t even a comparable product available!

They have a fantastic family-owned business that has a focus on really high quality ingredients and centers around showcasing the versatility of maple. As a side-note, I really had no idea about just how interesting maple actually was. According to the Mallett’s website, Canada accounts for 85% of the world’s maple production. Yay Canadian maples!

James and Michelle began selling their maple pepper at local markets, and demand took off. Realizing that they wouldn’t be able to produce the quantities the needed themselves, they struck up a partnership with Flowercart, who now manufactures their products.

Flowercart is an organization that provides employment to adults considered to have an intellectual handicap. Through vocational training, entrepreneurship, community employment and on-going personal support, Flowercart clients develop the work skills, habits, attitudes and interpersonal skills necessary in the work world. Mallett’s Maple Pepper uses a very interesting and socially aware way to manufacture locally.

Mallett’s Maple Pepper comes in a variety of ‘options’, including Original (straight up maple and pepper), Garlic, Chipotle and Mild Curry. We decided on Original and Chipotle, and got settled into the kitchen we set about deciding on our dishes for the evening.

We thought that the tuna would be great seared with the Chipotle alongside a really simple Asian salad seasoned with the Original might be a nice option. We were short on a starch, so I checked the recipe section of Mallett’s website and found an outstanding mashed potato option. I set my husband to work (he did go to culinary school for a reason you know), and I set off thinking about dish #2 – the scallops taunting me from the fridge.

While I mumbled something about what goes with scallops, my husband pulled a pork belly and some maple syrup from the fridge and put them in front of me. Fifteen minutes later as we were set to enjoy the tuna and mashed potato, it hit me: bacon and maple are made for scallops!! More about dish #2 in a minute…

These seasonings added some amazing touches to the dishes, but they were all subtle enough to just impart some enhancing flavours – nothing was overwhelming. The crust on the seared tuna from the chipotle MaplePepper was wonderful. There was just a little bit of sweetness that complimented the unique flavour of the tuna.

And let me tell you about this mashed potato recipe – you will never turn out a mashed anything quite like it. They suggest the Garlic Maple Pepper but give it a whirl with the Chipotle and you’ll love it! We tossed some chopped green onions for a little extra something special. Trust me – you’ll be in hot demand at the next office pot-luck if you bring these.

As for dish #2, it was maple all over the place. We crusted the scallops with the Maple Pepper Original, and gave them a quick sear. The pork belly was braised, seasoned with the Original and finished with a blackberry barbeque sauce (the Original made a cameo in that too). We made up a quick apple and celery salad and tossed the Chipotle Maple Pepper in that as well; it proved to be a great subtle contrast with the sweetness of the apple.

By this point the patio looked like a culinary bomb had gone off, we were beyond full, and very satisfied with the addition of Maple Pepper into our pantry. The great thing about these products is that you can use them anywhere you would normally season with pepper – I’m thinking specifically about a steak on the barbeque.

And they can be used for a really wide range of products; our trip from tuna to mashed potatoes really highlighted that. And it’s great to purchase a product that is locally sourced, and made with a social conscious. In speaking with James, he also let me know of a new product in the Maple Pepper line; they’ve developed planks that are sold along with the Maple Pepper product (think salmon here people!). I can only imagine how great an evening of grilling that would be!

So in the spirit of patios, barbeques, grilling and al fresco – enjoy the bounty of the fall harvest with Mallett’s Maple Pepper!