sweeter than honey

This is round two of dish three from my first battle with honey. It was a huge success the first go round however I was the only person lucky enough to taste it. So when Miss Theary wanted to plan another food shoot I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to share this dish. As a bonus Theary's adorable babies were at the house and I got to enjoy their smiling faces as they chewed on the fresh strawberries. They kept us entertained all day and filled the kitchen with the amazing stories and chatter than can only be produced from the innocence of a three year old. Theary has been talking about strawberries for weeks now so I switched my raspberries to satisfy her craving. The mint came from my tiny balcony garden that I am oh so proud of; and the yogurt was Greek (from the grocery store). The recipe, if you could call it that, is as follows:

handful of fresh fruit (rough chop)
sprig of fresh mint (minced)
pint of yogurt (plain)
honey

mix the first three ingredients together with a tablespoon or two of the honey. Freeze. Scoop and serve with a side of honey to drizzle over the top. yum!

I'm a firm believer that food inspires food and this is no exception. Working with the fresh strawberries made me crave a trip to the strawberry patch to pick my own. Which made me think of a farm a few miles down the road from my house that I've also seen advertising pick your own asparagus. Which makes me think of all the fresh fruits and veggies you can at the farmers markets this time of year. And that makes me wish I could have them all year long. Hence my July 'thing of the month' Pickling and Preserving. I plan to surprise myself with a canning set for my birthday this month. Everyone else can look forward receiving gifts of jams, jellies, sauces, salsas and canned vegetables.

Honey Love

As June comes to a close so does my love affair with honey. Well, that is a lie. My love of honey isn't going anywhere. However, my experiments with it are coming to a close. As I've mentioned before soup is my all time favorite food. If I had my choice I would open a restaurant that served only soup, maybe a few sandwiches or salads mixed in but ultimately soup. So I doubt it is a surprise to anyone that I felt compelled to make a soup starring honey. Let me tell you, this was not an easy task! I played around with the idea of several different co-stars for this soup and eventually decided it had to be a vegetable based dish. My next thought was to take it all the way, make it a completely vegetarian dish. So this one is dedicated to my favorite vegetarians Amanda, Richard, Mikie, Jaden, Josie, and little Ryleigh. (Ok, so every vegetarian I know is my favorite.) And they are truly inspiring people. I try to eat vegetarian a couple times a week and I recommend it to anyone who is attempting to up their intake of fruits and veggies. I promise you wont miss the meat for one or two meals and to be completely honest they will most likely be the healthiest, most wholesome, well balanced meals you eat that week.
Back to the soup. I decided picking a vegetable with a slightly sweet tone that the honey would complement would be the best choice. It had to be carrots, nothing else fit the criteria as well. The cauliflower has no real importance as far as complementing the honey. It just fairs really well with carrots and it just so happens that I only like cauliflower when it is in soup. This soup is wonderfully simple to prepare. The roasting of the vegetables can be slightly time consuming (40-50 mins) but don't skip this step! I realize the cook time could be drastically reduced by steaming or boiling the carrots and cauliflower but roasting is essential to the balance of flavors. The flavors from the roasted vegetables are delicious in their own right but its really the honey that binds it all together. The honey also makes this soup picky eater friendly. I would encourage parents to try this one on their children.

Roasted carrot and cauliflower soup with honey and chives

3-4 medium carrots
1 head cauliflower
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
4 cups stock or broth (vegetable)
honey
fresh chives
oil
salt and pepper

clean and cut carrots and cauliflower into bit size pieces. toss is oil and salt and pepper. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and roast is a 400 degree oven until caramelized on the outside and cooked through. In the mean time dice your onion and garlic and saute, add stock. When the vegetables finish roasting add to stock and puree. This soup will be a hearty one, thick and full bodied. Bowl soup and drizzle the honey over top. garnish with fresh chives. serves 4


Not in the mood for soup? start with the roasted veggies and instead of adding them to a stock, toss them in a kitchen aid mixer with the paddle attachment (or mash by hand if your super ambitious) a couple pats of butter and a drizzle of honey. Whip until smooth and serve as a side dish.

butter me up!

Butter....we use it in almost everything. Baking, sauteing, basting...it instantly adds flavor, moisture and texture to any food. So commonly used, so easily forgotten. When was the last time you made butter the star of the show? It's such an easy trick and a major crowd pleaser. I've got four recipes for everyone to make and taste but don't be shy, if something sounds good to you go for it. After all everything is better with butter!

Oh and don't forget the bread! If you are going to serve these spreads as a bread and butter coarse get a good quality loaf. In the pictures above we were chewing on a whole grain dark rye bread (thick and hearty) and a airy, chewy flour dusted ciabatta bread (one of my personal favorites).

Green heat
1 cup salt free butter (softened)
2-3 serano peppers (seeds removed, finely minced)
1 bunch cilantro (chopped)
Mix and serve!

*beside using this butter with bread I really love to add it to veggies, its just the right pop of flavor to zest up some corn on the cob or heat up some steamed carrots.

Classic
1 cup salt free butter (softened)
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 bunch parsley (chopped)
2 teaspoons sea salt (the coarser the better)
Mix and serve!

*This is a very classic flavor, great for meats. My favorite use of this butter is with a grilled steak. If your looking for great presentation as well as taste, refrigerate the butter until hard and scoop into perfect balls with a melon baller. Plate the steak and add a butter ball on top right before serving, it will melt as it makes its way to the table. Your guests will see the flavor oozing from their dinner, yum!

Roasted Red
1 cup salt free butter (softened)
1 roasted red pepper (minced)
2 teaspoons sea salt
Mix and serve!

*Roasted red peppers blend so wonderfully with so many other foods; this is great over noodles, on chicken and is probably the best of the three for serving as a bread and butter coarse. But my FAVORITE use of this butter is as a sandwich spread. This would be best in a panini press but if you're like me and can't afford one a George Forman grill works wonders (or just a frying pan). Assemble this just like a grilled cheese; red pepper butter, bread, American cheese and smoked turkey. Press or grill until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted.

And of coarse this wouldn't be a post in June if I didn't have a honey recipe.

Honey butter
1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
1/4 cup honey (make sure you are using pure honey)
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
mix and serve!

*be creative with your breads here, this is an awesome topper for bagels or morning breads. It also mixes quite well with peanut butter for a great fast lunch sandwich.

Taste of Omaha

This weekend was the 13th annual Taste of Omaha. Dozens of booths serving samples of Omaha's best! How could I miss that? I choose to visit on the last day of the festival, this is always my favorite day to spend at these kind of events. Yes, you run the risk of vendors shutting down early or 86ing certain items but you also miss the drama and excitement of the first few days. I know what your thinking, who would want to miss the fun and fan fair of a festival? Why go at the end as things wind down? Food is a comfort to me, I like to enjoy it in a relaxed atmosphere. And your guaranteed that the vendors will have worked out all the kinks of cooking on location. Sunday afternoon was a slow, gray day. The over looming clouds threatened us with rain but never broke. I love days like this, the dreary weather reminds me of my time in England, that nostalgic feeling is always welcome. It also seems to keep people calm and subdued. Perfect. The last 'Taste' I went to was in Chicago and although the food was phenomenal it was unbelievably crowded and ended up being a series of the same booths repeated throughout the park. So this go around I decided to peruse the line up first to make sure I wasn't wasting my afternoon on chain restaurants or a series of street vendors. Of coarse this trip wasn't all business, I took my mom with me for a day of catching up and people watching, as well as great food. My one complaint about the taste was that not many vendors understood the concept of 'a taste'. The dishes were large and expensive. Some of them costing more than a full sheet of tickets (equaling ten dollars or more). This little surprise made it hard to sample as many places as I would have liked. My mom and I started with a Mexican restaurant, and sadly we were very disappointed. I'm choosing to not mention the name of the establishment in hopes that a visit to there restaurant would be much different that a 'taste' at their stand. However its not high on my list to give them a second chance.
Not to worry, they were the only disappointment of the day. Our next stand was by far my favorite, although I had no doubt that I would absolutely love them. ESPANA. It was over a year ago that I first dined at this truly wonderful establishment. Three friends and I sat in their dining room for hours, partly because of the raging storm outside but mostly because of the charming waiter, the overflowing glasses of sangria and the constant little plates of deliciousness that continued to be delivered to our table. True to the their mission for a few hours we felt as if we were no longer in Omaha. ESPANA's tasting booth was also the most professional booth I saw all afternoon. It took longer than any other booth to get our food because it was prepared to order. We watched as the men behind the scenes fried our chicken empanda, grilled the beef for our marinated slider and assembled our dishes. They even took the time to garnish before serving. The steak slider was melt in your mouth tender and bursting with flavors of garlic, butter and roasted peppers. And the Aoloi served along side the emapanda was the perfect accompaniment to the slightly spicy, juicy chicken. Let just say it will not be another year before you find me ordering off the menu. Sadly our next five tickets were spent on bottled lemonade but it was a much needed refreshment after walking around for a few hours. We then decided we should end our day with something sweet. I remembered as we first walked in we passed a ice cream shop so started to retrace our steps. The ice cream stand was run by eCreamery a dundee ice cream parlor that serves several unique flavors as well as offering you the option to create your own flavor. Of coarse they didn't have the equipment available to create your flavor on the spot so we picked from one of their three options. I picked the most 'out there' flavor sea salt caramel. Yum! it reminded me of a sea salt chocolate tart I made in culinary school. I'm not sure my mom really liked it, she said it reminded her of coffee which I know she isn't a fan of. Either way, the ladies running the booth were sweet and so was the ice cream. I have a feeling this creamery would be an adorable little date spot. Our last choice of festival food was a funnel cake, however the only stand we found that sold them were charging ten tickets! (7 dollars!) Not only did we not have enough tickets left for that, we both agreed no fried treat covered in powdered sugar was worth seven dollars. I actually think this overpriced treat ended up being a miracle in disguise. Right next to the funnel cake stand was a Chicago style hot dog stand! Now I don't regret for a second leaving Chicago but I do seriously miss the hot dogs. And luck have it, it was six tickets for one, exactly what we had left. The Chicago Dawg House almost got it right. A t all the hot dog stands I visited in Chicago I never once saw the 'bright green' relish that was served on our dog at the fair and the dog itself was a little on the small side but other wise the flavor was right on. The stop at the Dawg House was well worth eating another savory dish after dessert.
If you missed The Taste of Omaha you made a big mistake. Make sure to add it to your calendar for next summer. And make sure to check out ESPANA!

p.s. sorry for the sub-par photos, Miss Theary was not with me on this trip.

Honey Bear

Round one: honey 2, Jamie 1.

As promised I've been playing with honey, trying to learn more about it and incorporate it into more of my dishes. Everyone knows honey is sweet, but working with it isn't always. I wasn't to thrilled with the results of my first few dishes and I'm guessing from the polite smiles and head nods from my friends this Friday they weren't either. Maybe next time I will pour the wine before I pass out the food.

Dish one: Honey Tequila Chicken Wings
I marinaded these wings over night and then baked them (not the best results but read on for variations)...

Marinade:
one cup tequila
one cup honey
boil until reduced by half
two cups apple juice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon adobe peppers (minced) *more or less to personal heat preference
1 bunch cilantro (minced)
bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Taste. add more heat if needed or more honey/apple juice to reduce heat.
Marinade over night and bake.

These wings weren't 'bad' they just didn't have the sticky quality I wanted, the skin was slightly soggy and I was missing a layer of flavor. But they did smell amazing and I saw some potential. First thing I decided to change was the method. I know its bad for you but I promise to do some extra sit ups later....frying the wings is the only way to go with this one. I also kicked the marinade, instead I added a cup more honey to the recipe and reduced the entire batch by half. Oh and my missing layer of flavor? smoke! A couple drops of liquid smoke into the pot was just the trick. I then tossed the deep fried wings in the sticky sweet reduction. MMMMMM.....this is how its done. So for those of you who got round one Friday night, I apologize for the mediocre wings but I will make it up to you next game night.

Dish Two: Heirloom Honey Dijon Pizza
This dish was actually and accidental find. Since the beginning of this blog I have become slightly obsessed with reading others as well. By chance I was reading David Lebovitz blog and he had a recipe for a tomato tart with wild blackberry honey. It was to interesting not to try. However, since I am not living in France I made a couple variations to fit my American kitchen and tastes.
I made a basic pizza crust, brushed it with Dijon mustard and topped it with fresh heirloom tomatoes (beautiful shades of black, green and pink), crumbled goat cheese and then drizzled it with honey before baking. Truthfully I LOVED it. The dish made perfect sense to me. I mean we use honey and mustard on salads (with tomato and cheese), as a dipping sauce for chicken, glazes for pork, the list goes on and on. Having said that, the mustard as a pizza base seemed to freak everyone out. I got a lot of funny looks and comments like "there's something different about this and I can't put my finger on it" As soon as I mentioned mustard it was obvious that was where the confusion was coming from.
Overall I would say this dish was a fail (based on numbers, not my personal opinion) If you decided to try this one, know your audience.

Dish Three: Honey Raspberry Frozen Yogurt
Sadly enough, I'm the only one that has gotten to taste this delightful treat. It's the only dish so far that I consider a 100% win. Lucky for you though it is beyond easy to make! As much as I wish that my only job was to play around with recipes and review restaurants I unfortunately have a 'real job' as well. Although work is no where near as fun as this blog it does pay the bills and I occasionally have some wiggle room to add personal touches to our menu. One of my 'wiggle' areas is sugar free desserts. We have a lot of diabetics in our dinning room and we try and give them a new treat each week. I've been receiving requests for ice cream ever since the temperature outside went above 80. Sugar free ice cream is a challenge...sugar free frozen yogurt is not. This is so simple you will feel silly for not trying it sooner.
Plain yogurt (no flavor added)
*Greek yogurt is my favorite
fresh or frozen fruit ( I used raspberry but anything would work)
honey
fresh mint (optional)

blend your yogurt and fruit first, drizzle in the honey to desired sweetness and finally toss in the mint. Freeze, eat, enjoy!

***A quick note, honey is sugar so this dessert is not sugar free, I simple stumbled across it while make a sugar free version.