WHIPPED GOAT CHEESE CROSTINI WITH TRUFFLE HONEY AND THYME
This is definitely one of those whole-is-greater-than-the-sum-of-its-parts kinds of foods. These crostini are so simple, it’s almost absurd, yet they are deliciously complex and quite fancy. There’s something about the combination of creamy, tangy cheese plus earthy, sweet honey along with a bright, herbal hit of thyme that makes people go absolutely bananas for these. Serve them at your next party and you’ll see. I’m serious.
Truffle honey, which is available at gourmet shops and well-stocked supermarkets, is a tad pricey, but a little goes a long way, so a small jar will last you a while. Piping the whipped cheese out of a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip makes for a pretty presentation, but you can always spread the mixture onto the toasts with a short knife before garnishing with thyme and drizzling with honey.
Makes about 24 pieces
1 baguette, cut into ¼-inch slices
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed
Kosher salt
4 ounces soft, mild chèvre-style goat cheese
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1 to 2 tablespoons truffle honey
Fresh thyme leaves for garnish
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the baguette slices on a baking sheet. Lightly brush each slice with the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and bake until lightly toasted and crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
2. Meanwhile, combine the goat cheese and cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a medium bowl and reach for your handheld electric mixer. Beat until light, fluffy, and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. To assemble the crostini, place the whipped goat cheese mixture in a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Squeeze the mixture onto the baguette slices. Drizzle with the truffle honey and garnish with just a few fresh thyme leaves.
Note: The toasts can be made up to a day ahead and stored in an airtight container.
MISO-HONEY CHICKEN WINGS
Let’s face it, really good chicken wings—the kind you can’t stop eating, the kind you immediately think of when someone says “game day snacks” or “party food”—aren’t really about the chicken at all. I mean, sure, the chicken is good, especially if it’s got crispy skin—but what separates just-okay wings from great wings is the sauce. That’s the genius of these wings—you get tons of flavor from the sauce in each and every bite. Here, salty, savory miso is beautifully balanced by sweet, floral honey. Plus, you can pull this crazy-simple dish together in just a few minutes with so few ingredients.
Serves 4 to 6
⅔ cup honey
⅓ cup mellow white miso
Freshly ground black pepper
Canola, safflower, or another neutral cooking oil for pans
3 pounds whole chicken wings (about 32), patted dry
Kosher salt
Sesame seeds and chopped scallions for garnish
1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Make the miso-honey glaze: combine the honey and miso in a small bowl and season with the pepper. Set aside.
3. Lightly oil two baking sheets and divide the wings evenly between the pans. Season with salt and pepper and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, flipping the wings halfway through, until golden brown.
4. Brush the wings with the glaze and bake for 3 minutes more. Remove from the oven, brush with more glaze, sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallions, and serve.
BEWITCHING FIG AND BLUE CHEESE FLATBREAD WITH HONEY AND THYME
I used to love to watch Bewitched. Of all the many dilemmas Samantha Stevens would solve with magic, my favorite was watching her deal with unexpected dinner guests. Darrin, her ad exec husband, would regularly spring last-minute additions on her—usually a new client or his boss, Larry Tate. Somehow, even as a kid, I found that predicament to be both thrilling and amusing, which is why I still love to think up ways in which I might save the day (perhaps my husband’s) with a dazzling dish that almost magically materializes in an instant.
This recipe, which uses store-bought flatbread (I especially like using naan, which is available in most well-stocked supermarkets or, of course, at your local Indian restaurant), is all at once beautiful to look at, quick to assemble, and Darrin delicious—ahem, darned delicious. While fresh figs are gorgeous, they’re also a fabulous textural and flavorful counterpart to the salty, funky blue cheese and a beautiful complement to the honey. Figs’ season is short and those of us who don’t actually have magic powers may not be able to find them year-round, but that’s okay! Peaches, apples, ripe pears, apricots, even dried figs are totally acceptable stand-ins.
Serves 4
1 store-bought flatbread
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
4 or 5 fresh figs, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon honey
1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Place the flatbread on a pizza pan or baking sheet and brush with the olive oil. Sprinkle evenly with the blue cheese and top with the fig slices. Sprinkle with the thyme and pepper.
3. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the flatbread is crisp around the edges. Remove from the oven and drizzle with the honey.
HONEY-GLAZED ALMONDS
A warning: these glazed almonds are totally addictive. I’m just saying. Sweet, salty, crunchy . . . all boxes: check, check, check. They are the perfect nibble with a cocktail, round out a cheese and fruit board with style, and make for quite a lovely hostess gift if you’re not the one throwing the party. They’re also ridiculously easy to make. As in, mix almonds with honey and salt. Bake. Done. So, consider doubling or even tripling this recipe because you’re going to want to keep these nuts around for all kinds of reasons: stirring into yogurt, topping salads, filling lunch boxes, and, of course, straight-up snacking.
Makes 2 cups
3 tablespoons raw honey
2 cups raw almonds
1 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Warm the honey to liquefy it.
3. Combine the honey and almonds in a large bowl, mixing thoroughly so that all the almonds are coated.
4. Spread the almond mixture on a parchment-lined baking pan and sprinkle evenly with the salt.
5. Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the nuts are fragrant and toasted.
HONEY-SESAME POPCORN
We are big movie watchers in our house. My husband is the screenings curator and I am in charge of movie snacks. In addition to our love of movies (or because of it?), we are also a household of popcorn lovers, so that’s where I usually head when rounding up a snack for everyone’s viewing pleasure. While traditional butter and salt can’t be beat, I do like to liven things up from time to time with some kind of fun or unexpected topping. This popcorn recipe hits all the notes: crunchy, chewy, sweet, salty. It’s a clear-cut crowd-pleaser. And if you like to add spicy to your list of perfect-snack-must-haves, you can always swap out some of the cinnamon for a bit of cayenne or smoked paprika. Now you’re movie-ready!
Makes about 6 cups
6 cups popped popcorn
⅓ cup honey
3 tablespoons tahini
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the popcorn in a large bowl.
2. Place the honey in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Continue to boil for about 90 seconds, adjusting the heat as necessary so that the syrup doesn’t boil over. Remove the pot from the heat.
3. Carefully stir in the tahini, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk until well blended, then drizzle over the popcorn. Gently toss with a rubber spatula or big spoon until thoroughly combined. Pour the popcorn onto the prepared baking sheet and arrange it in a single layer. Sprinkle with an even layer of the sesame seeds.
4. Bake the popcorn for 6 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 2 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with additional cinnamon and salt to taste. The popcorn will continue to crisp as it cools. Once it’s cool, break the popcorn into pieces (or leave in chunks) and press Play!
5. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Note: This recipe tastes best with freshly popped corn, which is easy to make even without an electric popcorn popper. Simply place ⅓ cup of unpopped popcorn kernels in a brown paper lunch bag, fold over the top to close it, and microwave on HIGH for 2½ minutes.
THE BEE’S KNEES COCKTAIL
The Bee’s Knees is a classic drink that has stood the test of time. Made of honey syrup and fresh lemon, it’s a Prohibition-era cocktail that, like many libations of the day, probably came about as a way to help mask the harshness of all that homemade hooch people were brewing in their bathtub (yes, seriously). This recipe is quick and easy—made with just three simple ingredients, it’s perfectly light, refreshing, sweet, and crisp. It’s delicious and definitely happy hour–worthy as is, but if you’re thinking about how to go next level with this classic concoction, now would be as good a time as any to test out one of those infused honeys you’ve been wanting to take for a spin. Try something herbal or floral, such as thyme, ginger, rosemary, lavender, or even elderflower—then play around and tweak to your liking. One last note: please, please, please—no bottled lemon juice for this one. Freshly squeezed makes all the difference in the world. Cheers!
Serves 2
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons hot water
½ cup gin
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 sprigs fresh thyme for garnish (optional)
1. Place the honey in a small bowl. Add the hot water and stir until you achieve a thin syrup. Add the gin and lemon juice.
2. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
3. Add the gin mixture; shake well.
4. Strain into two glasses and garnish with thyme, if using.
Chill out: A perfectly chilled glass can keep cocktails colder longer. For a quick chill, fill a glass with crushed ice and a splash of water. Let sit for a few minutes, dump out the ice water, and strain your drink into the glass.
THE QUEEN BEE
My friend and real-life queen bee, Claire Marin, introduced a version of this recipe to me not long ago. Okay, fine, she isn’t actually a bee! But she is an amazing beekeeper and entrepreneur, who tends over 300 hives in New York State, sells an incredible line of artisanal foods utilizing local natural resources (some of which are on the menus of New York City’s top restaurants), and is the maker of a truly unique honey-infused whiskey. What’s cooler is that she’s one of only about 9 or 10 female distillers in an industry of over 1,700 men! Q-U-E-E-N! Claire’s original recipe for this drink, of course, incorporates her very own NY Honey Rye. You can (and should!) use that in this recipe if you happen to be lucky enough to get your hands on some, but if you want to DIY it with something you already have in your liquor cabinet, here’s an adaptation that is delicious and similarly honey-ish without being overly sweet. It’s bright, intense, and a little bit spicy—a flavor note that is enhanced by honey, which offers nuance that sugar’s one-note sweetness can’t. This is a great recipe for using any intense, bold honey you have in your cabinet, such as chestnut or buckwheat, but any varietal will work just fine. For a truly custom cocktail, try infusing the honey syrup with herbs, spices, or citrus peel. Then, toast to all the badass women out there (like Claire) who are bustin’ it to make the world a better, more delicious place.
Serves 2
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon boiling water
½ cup rye whiskey
2 tablespoons ginger liqueur
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 lemon twists for garnish
1. Pour the honey into a small bowl. Add the hot water and stir until you achieve a thin syrup.
2. Add the rye, ginger liqueur, and lemon juice to the honey syrup.
3. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
4. Add the rye mixture; shake well.
5. Strain into two glasses and garnish with lemon twists.
ENDLESSLY CUSTOMIZABLE HONEY SYRUP FOR HOMEMADE SODA
This honey syrup and its gazillion variations are great to have on hand for adding quick flavor and a touch of sweetness to all kinds of beverages. With nothing other than honey, fruit, herbs, and spices—and, of course, all the health benefits of honey—these syrups aren’t really too bad an indulgence for those of us who occasionally need a more exciting departure from the usual unsweetened seltzer. Or for kids, who might otherwise be begging, pleading, constantly imploring you to give them soda and other sugary drinks, pleeeaaasssse!!!!!!
I, for one, went from being the “meanest mommy in the whole wide world” (so many “no”s) to “the goodest mommy ever” just by stirring some of this into my kids’ “bubble water.” So, who knows the ranks to which you might ascend if you crank out a batch or two of this stuff?! To make homemade soda, first you’ll need to make a batch of this incredibly easy honey simple syrup.
SIMPLE SYRUP
1 cup water
1 cup honey
1. Heat the water in a small saucepan or microwave-safe container until steaming but not boiling.
2. Pour in the honey and stir until fully dissolved.
Next comes the fun part: dreaming up soda flavors! The following are a few simple formulas in broad flavor categories. Use both your imagination and the ingredients available to you to make these syrups your own.
Honey-Herb Syrup
Combine one batch of still-warm honey syrup with three sprigs of any fresh herb, steep for 20 to 30 minutes, then strain and cool.
Suggestions: lemon verbena, rosemary, fresh mint, lemon basil, lavender
Honey-Fruit Syrup
Combine one batch of still-warm honey syrup with 8 ounces of peeled and chopped or mashed fruit and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional), steep for 20 to 30 minutes, then strain and cool.
Suggestions: Strawberry, sour cherry, peach, mango, pineapple
Honey-Citrus Syrup
Combine one batch of still-warm honey syrup with ½ cup of fresh citrus juice and 1 tablespoon citrus zest, steep for 20 to 30 minutes, then strain and cool.
Suggestions: Lemon, lime, Meyer lemon, grapefruit, blood orange
Honey-Spice Syrup
Combine one batch of still-warm honey syrup with ¼ cup of whole dried spices or ½ cup of a chopped fresh spice (e.g., ginger), steep for 20 to 30 minutes, then strain and cool.
Suggestions: Ginger, allspice, cinnamon, peppercorn, cloves
HOMEMADE SODA
When pouring yourself a cold one, don’t feel compelled to stick to one flavor note. Mixing and matching is half the fun when making homemade soda. You can do this by either blending a couple of different syrup flavors when mixing up a glass of soda, or creating flavor blends when making the syrups themselves by steeping the ingredients together. Either way: here are a few flavor combinations that I like, but play around and have fun exploring what you like to drink!
Cherry-Vanilla
Pineapple-Mint
Peach-Ginger
Lemon-Lime
Raspberry-Apricot
Blood Orange–Rosemary
Strawberry-Basil
Whatever flavor train you decide to jump on, here’s the recipe for one glass of soda.
1 to 3 tablespoons flavored syrup
Seltzer
1. Fill a tall glass with ice.
2. Add the flavored syrup, then top with seltzer.
3. Stir gently and enjoy!
Note: If you like your sodas a little on the tart side, consider adding a tablespoon of fresh lemon or lime juice to the glass along with the syrup, before topping with seltzer. My husband—a fan of aromatic cocktail bitters—also likes to add a dash or two to his honey sodas, so you could give that a whirl, too.
HONEY LEMON ICED TEA
I didn’t really grow up drinking iced tea in the summertime. We were more of an occasional lemonade–sipping kind of family. But I have spent some time in the South, where sweet tea is so popular that it seems to run from the faucet. And I kind of understand why. The tannic tea balanced with sweet sugar is quenching, plus the idea of a big pitcher perpetually chilling in the fridge, ready for whoever happens to come by, is thoroughly hospitable. Besides, a little something sweet and a little something cold alongside a plate of spicy barbecue makes perfect sense to me. So I’ve been sold. But—purists, please forgive me—I like to swap out the sugar for honey not only because it adds a bit of nutritional oomph to the drink, but it offers depth and flavor interest. The lemon keeps it from being cloying and adds a brightness, too, that creates a more balanced beverage. So, when the weather heats up where you are, you’ll see that there’s nothing quite like a glass of this newfangled sweet iced tea to cool you down.
Serves 8
8 cups water
6 tea bags black tea
½ cup honey
1 lemon, sliced into ¼-inch rounds, plus more for garnish if desired
Mint for garnish (optional)
1. Place 4 cups of water in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, add the tea bags, and steep for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how strong you like your tea. Remove the tea bags and add the honey. Stir until thoroughly blended. Let cool.
2. Place the sweetened tea, lemon slices, 4 remaining cups of water, and 2 cups of ice in a pitcher. Stir gently.
3. Pour into glasses over ice and garnish with a lemon slice and mint, if desired.
MANGO AND HONEY LASSI
What’s lassi? you may wonder. It’s a traditional sweet and tangy, sometimes spiced and/or salty yogurt-based drink from India. Mango is one of my favorite lassi flavors, but this recipe is delicious with most fruits or, honestly, no fruit at all. A splash of rose water and/or a pinch of ground cardamom are lovely but thoroughly optional, as the sweet honey and mango are just perfect on their own against the tart and creamy yogurt. A lassi is a great way to start the day, but it’s also a delightful accompaniment to a spicy meal or enjoyed as a light and refreshing drinkable dessert.
Serves 2
1½ cups plain yogurt
½ cup ice-cold water
1 cup peeled and cubed fresh or frozen mango
2 tablespoons honey
Pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon rose water (optional)
A few ice cubes, for serving (optional)
Pinch of ground cardamom (optional)
Mint for garnish (optional)
1. Place the yogurt, water, mango, honey, salt, and rose water (if using) in a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the sweetness, if desired.
2. Serve in tall glasses over ice (if using). Garnish with a sprinkle of cardamom and mint, if desired.