IT’S TIME TO fire these up (if you haven’t already!). Barbeque sauces come in all flavors in the stores, but these are easy to make and can last a long time in the fridge. Expand them with spices of your choice.

These recipes come from the Maple Syrup Cookbook that also contains the foll owing excerpt from “Sugartime” by Susan Carol Hauser

“Maple sugaring will not be hurried. It is more than the work of one night or one week; its rhythms are measured in sunlight and shadow, in the tilt of the earth’s axis and in the ancient memories of trees.”

Maple-Mustard

Barbecue Sauce

This was devised by the Maine Maple Producers Association to inspire people to use maple syrup at meals other than breakfast. “Simple, yummy, and makes enough for one chicken or pork tenderloin, or one batch of burgers-pass the barbecue sauce instead of ketchup”

1/3 cup pure maple syrup 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Juice of 1 medium lemon

1 clove garlic, crushed through a press

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed

1/3 cup peanut oil or another mild oil

Whisk together the maple syrup, mustard, lemon juice, garlic pepper and thyme in a medium-sized bowl.

Slowly whisk in the oil to emulsify the sauce. Refrigerate tightly covered for up to several weeks.

North Country

Basting Sauce

Recommended especially for chicken

1 cup ketchup 2/3 cup apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Bring all of the ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Cool, then store in a covered jar in the refrigerator. This will keep for at least 4 weeks in the refrigerator in a tightly covered jar.

The following is an extension of the above recipe:

Hot and Spicy Shrimp and Sausage Kabobs

1 1/2 cups North Country Basting Sauce

Juice of 1/2 medium lemon 2 tablespoons minced onion

2 tablespoons minced onion

2 tablespoons minced jalapeno peppers, canned or fresh

1 pound chorizo sausage

1 pound fresh large shrimp in the shell

Blend the basting sauce, lemon juice, onion and jalapeno peppers in a large bowl. Set aside.

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Prick the sausage several times with a fork and then boil for 5 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut into 1/2 –inch slices and add to the marinade along with the shrimp. Stir to coat well, cover and set aside for 1 hour: it may be refrigerated for several hours.

Preheat the grill to medium high. Thread four or five long skewers alternately with the shrimp and sausage. Either grill or broil, far enough from the heat to prevent charring, for about 10 minutes total or until the shrimp are pink. Turn occasionally during cooking and brush with more sauce. And be sure to tell your guests that the shrimp are in the shell.

It was also noted, that the sauce is great with shrimp alone. Please be sure to soak your skewers if you are using bamboo prior to placing them on the grill.pgg