FRIED LEAVES RECIPES

Steps:

• place the vegetable oil in a skillet and heat over medium heat.
• combine the mayo, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice into a dipping sauce. season with salt as necessary.
• lightly dust the sage leaves with flour, shaking off any excess. drop into the hot oil and cook until crispy and bright green, ~30 seconds. remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
• serve with the dipping sauce. you can experiment with other savory sauces as well, though the sage leaves are rather fragile, so you will need to be careful.

Steps:

• Remove as much salt as possible off the leaves.
• Cover leaves with a batter recipe of your choosing (beer batter will also work).
• Place about 7 cm (3”) of sunflower oil into a large pot and bring to about 190 degrees C (375 degrees F). If you do not have a way to determine temperature then test by carefully placing some batter into the oil to see if it cooks well.
• Once oil is ready, place one leaf in at a time. After about 10 to 20 seconds (depends on the size of the leaf) then flip it over. Once thoroughly fried then carefully remove from the pot and place on paper towels. Each leaf takes approximately under one minute.
• After the leaves are done, garnish with icing sugar or maple syrup. You can also serve with ice cream, chocolate syrup, fresh fruit, or anything else you feel is right.
• Alternatively, you can fry the leaves without any batter to make maple leaf chips! Each leaf takes a matter of a few seconds to fry.
• Please note: To preserve red, silver or sugar maple leaves, gather lots of leaves in May, June or July while they are fresh looking. Gather from a tree, not the ground at least 48 hours after rain – and mid day when all dew or moisture is gone. When home, allow them to air dry for 24 hours on a clean bed sheet or several towels. In a very large, clean, plastic (storage) container put a fine layer of salt, then a layer of leaves. Continue with another layer of salt, then leaves, and so on until all your leaves are in the salt. Cover (to prevent moisture from getting in) and place in a dark, cool location for 8 to 10 months.