In Québec, dessert isn’t just a course—it’s a cultural ritual. And no one embodies this joyful indulgence more than Martin Picard, the wild genius behind Au Pied de Cochon and its legendary Cabane à Sucre. For Picard, maple syrup isn’t merely a topping—it’s a foundation, a philosophy, a sweet rebellion that seeps into every crevice of the meal, from appetizer to decadent finale.
Picard began where many Québécois chefs do—with pouding chômeur, tarte au sucre, and the humble yet divine tire d’érable, maple syrup cooled on snow and twirled onto sticks. But he didn’t stop there. In his world, dessert starts with sugar, but it doesn’t stop at dessert. It leaks forward and backward through the entire meal. He’s built entire menus where maple syrup is the star, transforming foie gras into dessert and marshmallows into a culinary thesis.
In his cookbook, Cabane à Sucre, Picard lays out over 100 maple-infused recipes, treating syrup not just as an ingredient but as an object of study, affection, and cultural pride. “Everywhere in the world, maple syrup is associated with pancakes,” he told The Times of Malta. “The possibilities have not been fully capitalised”. For Picard, the syrup is gastronomic gold, and he treats it with reverence—replacing sugar requires technical precision, since maple is wetter, richer, and more temperamental.
At his Cabane à Sucre Au Pied de Cochon, nestled in the woods north of Montréal, guests don’t just finish sweet—they start sweet, continue sweet, and transcend the typical. Picture this: duck in a can, topped with maple glaze. Tourtière layered with maple pastry cream. Then out comes the mille-feuille à l’érable, stacked sky-high with pastry, cream, butter, and maple sugar nuggets, all crowned with a puff of maple cotton candy. It’s not indulgence—it’s excess with purpose.
But beyond his inventions—maple ice creams, sundaes with foie gras, even maple sushi—what truly defines Picard’s maple empire is generosity. His meals feel like celebrations, not transactions. There’s something very Québécois about it: a mix of rebellion and humor. Picard himself sums it up best in a candid La Presse interview of 2011:
“At the table, we Québécois are bon vivants: big eaters and big drinkers… We let ourselves speak loudly, get angry, and laugh… Pleasure—it’s part of who we are.”
Martin Picard isn’t just serving food—he’s staging a sweet revolution. Because in Québec, and in Picard’s world, sweetness is a way to share joy.
Original recipe from: Cabane à sucre au Pied de Cochon
Ingredients:
2 pie crusts (20 cm diameter)
355 ml (1 ½ cup) dark maple syrup
125 ml ( ½ cup) cream 35%
100 g butter
10 g (1 tbsp) flour
3 eggs
Method
Preparation:
In a saucepan, put to a broil the maple syrup and the cream. Remove from heat.
Melt the butter in the mix and incorporate the flour. Let cool down.
Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F)
Cook the pie crusts about 15 minutes until golden. Reduce the oven to 150°C (300°F).
Once the mixture is at room temperature, add the eggs and stir gently.
Pour the mixture into the 2 pie crusts.
Continue the cooking at 150°C (300°F) for 25 to 30 minutes. The maple syrup pies are ready once the center is no longer liquid or until there is a slight boiling at the edges of the crust.