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Food Discoveries


Susan in FL

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I've never been crazy for honey, using it only when called for in recipes, but since this discovery I have been all about honey. I got it from "my Greek guy" at Cosmos Imports, in South Daytona, which now has a web site. Each time I go to his store, I take his recommendation for something new to try. It was the Orino Thyme Honey the last time I went shopping there. I love to eat this on toast. I did some reading up on honeys, thyme honey in particular, and realized I have been missing out on something. ...Good, and good for you too, apparently. Please let me know if you have any special honey uses. He -- I really do need to find out his name so I can refer to him as something other than my Greek guy -- told me he takes a spoonful of this and a spoonful of EVOO every day.

Here it is pictured in the first of the photos of my last Cosmos shopping.

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Any recent good food finds to report?

Life is short; eat the cheese course first.

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Perhaps I'm a rube but I've never seen pine nuts jarred in brine (oil?) like that. I always get them in a bag, just the nuts.

Brine cured green peppercorns in a jar (we use Delicias brand) have been a sort of recent discovery for us. Nice heat and a little bit of tanginess. We often have them in a very simple pan sauce with quickly sauteed shrimp. The sweetness of shellfish and the bite of the peppercorn go well together.

Stephen Bunge

St Paul, MN

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The pine nuts aren't brined. Those are in a plastic jar. He gets lots of things in bulk and packages it in various sizes. Those are the best pine nuts I've found in this area... far superior to supermarket brands.

One of the things I'm most thrilled with are his pitted olives. Always in the past when I found olives already pitted, they were not such good quality. These, I prefer the taste over the other brands I've tried, and I don't have to go through the trouble of pitting them when needed. I'm picky about oil-cured olives. I've had some so bad, I couldn't swallow them!

Nice idea for brined green peppercorns... We haven't done that.

Life is short; eat the cheese course first.

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I'm not a big fan of honey myself, but a few years ago a friend who is a bee keeper hobbbyst put a couple of hives in my backyard along the riverbank where there is a profusion of Purple Loosestrife. Now that was honey that will really rock your boat.

Jim

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As a student, I used to stir a tablespoon of tahini paste and a tablespoon of honey into a bowl of joghurt. Mix until well amalgamated (sp?) I have not had this for 15 years but for some reason, your post made me think of it and now I want it! No tahini in the house though..

It's great to discover new foodstuff. I remember a couple of years ago I discovered a tin of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce on the shelf in one of my ethnic foodshops. For the next months, I put those things into everything, I was totally addicted to that new smoky, fiery flavor.

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Oh, how I love thyme honey! I got some in Greece, from a lady selling out of her house in a small village who we found by following signs "Thyme honey this way (and then something in Greek). I love it in my favorite Cinnamon-Raisin bread recipe, but my favorite use for it (besides just adding it to oatmeal) is drizzling it on top of an appetizer from Bon Appetit, Goat Cheese with Fig and Walnut Tapenade. Let me know if you would like the recipe, or I could post a link (it can be found on epicurious.com)

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Tasmanian Leatherwood honey will make a believer out of any infidel.

Also rub honey into cuts or bites to prevent infections seems counter-intuitive doesn't it? but it works.

Life! what's life!? Just natures way of keeping meat fresh - Dr. who

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Glad to hear there are some honey lovers, including converts.

As a student, I used to stir a tablespoon of tahini paste and a tablespoon of honey into a bowl of joghurt. Mix until well amalgamated (sp?) I have not had this for 15 years but for some reason, your post made me think of it and now I want it! No tahini in the house though..

Before this discovery, I would probably have stuck up my nose at this, but now I am open to trying almost anything!

It's great to discover new foodstuff...

Thyme honey is not new...

It is fun. New meaning new to one's self... I do realize thyme honey is as old as the hills. Pardon the poor joke.

Oh, how I love thyme honey!  I got some in Greece, from a lady selling out of her house in a small village who we found by following signs "Thyme honey this way (and then something in Greek).  I love it in my favorite Cinnamon-Raisin bread recipe, but my favorite use for it (besides just adding it to oatmeal) is drizzling it on top of an appetizer from Bon Appetit, Goat Cheese with Fig and Walnut Tapenade.  Let me know if you would like the recipe, or I could post a link (it can be found on epicurious.com)

That is really interesting! I'll check it out, and let you know if I have any trouble finding it.

Tasmanian Leatherwood honey will make a believer out of any infidel.

I haven't heard of that kind of honey before, but that's the kind of examples of "new" stuff I like!

I found a recipe for Grilled Figs With Thyme Honey and Gorgonzola Toasts that sounds really good, and I've known honey to be good in sauces for boneless duck breasts. I also read about drizzling good honey on blue cheeses or goat cheeses... Anybody do that?

Life is short; eat the cheese course first.

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How funny you bring up honey, because:

I recieved this Raw Honey from my mom for Christmas. It is never heated so it is thick (like peanut butter) as opposed to pourable and the top has "casings" on it, little bits of honey comb. This stuff is so good! It's hide in the back of the cabinet good.

One of my favorite things is tangy greek yogurt with some honey and wheat germ stirred in. Add some fresh fruit if you like. It is a great breakfast, but it's so good I could have it for dessert.

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Mmmm thyme honey. My husband and I went to the Greek Islands (and then Rome) for our honeymoon and enjoyed fresh fruit with thick Greek yogurt and honey drizzled over it. So yogurt with honey brings back some very special memories for us.

(There are some special sheep milk Greek yogurts but if you can drain yogurt in a coffee filter/strainer for a cheater method.)

The first honey I bought was a brand called Thymelli but I haven't seen it lately. I now have a 900 gram can of Dinas brand Cretan thyme honey that I'm working my way through. (I keep the whole can in a giant ziplock.) My little honey jar gets refilled as needed.

Winter in NY makes the honey ridiculously thick. Huge amounts come up with the honey dripper.

jayne

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Strange how coincidences work.... my first experience with 'premium' honey was thyme honey, and it is worth the premium price. One of the things I made with it that turned out well was Fig and Port ice cream, sweetened only with the thyme honey (no other sugar). :wub:

Andrea

http://tenacity.net

"You can't taste the beauty and energy of the Earth in a Twinkie." - Astrid Alauda

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Food Lovers' Guide to Santa Fe, Albuquerque & Taos: OMG I wrote a book. Woo!

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Strange how coincidences work.... my first experience with 'premium' honey was thyme honey, and it is worth the premium price.  One of the things I made with it that turned out well was Fig and Port ice cream, sweetened only with the thyme honey (no other sugar).  :wub:

Andrea

http://tenacity.net

That sounds wonderful! Could you post or link us to the recipe you used?

Interesting, I hadn't been much interested in figs either, until recent months, and now I'm finding these two are often associated together.

Life is short; eat the cheese course first.

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That sounds wonderful!  Could you post or link us to the recipe you used?

Interesting, I hadn't been much interested in figs either, until recent months, and now I'm finding these two are often associated together.

Here's my recipe, which I put together after having made ice cream a few times and after consulting Culinary Artistry for "what goes with figs?". :biggrin: Oh, and I lied - I did use brown sugar in addition to the honey, though that could certainly be changed in the future. Note, this makes a tiny batch, so triple the ingredients for a quart sized ice cream maker.

Fig-Port Ice Cream with mint & honey

4 dried figs, chopped finely and soaked for 15+ minutes in

2T port (or enough to cover)

1c whole milk

1T dried mint

1T thyme honey (or any wildflower honey)

1/4c brown sugar or sweetener

1 egg yolk

Put the mint and honey in the milk and scald it. ("Bad milk!" Um, not scold.... scald.) Beat the egg yolk and sugar together, then add some of the milk to the egg, mixing well. Finally dump the egg into the pan with the milk and cook gently until it slightly thickens or is just short of boiling. Either pick out the mint bits at this point or use a blender to render them tiny. Stir in the fig-port mess and chill for several hours, preferably overnight. Process in your ice cream maker when ready.

Andrea

http://tenacity.net

"You can't taste the beauty and energy of the Earth in a Twinkie." - Astrid Alauda

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Food Lovers' Guide to Santa Fe, Albuquerque & Taos: OMG I wrote a book. Woo!

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First day of posting on EG, be gentle.

Anybody heard of honey from Tenerife? I had it at the event last year with Wines of Spain.

Here's a description.

http://www.gourmets-express.com/gourmets/c...&idart=61&m=&s=

Apparently it's from enormous the enormous flowering plants like the ones on this page

http://www.puntoinfo.idecnet.com/seccion.p...ma=2&slc_menu=2

(at least that's what the gentleman representing the product told me).

I found the honeys themselves to be wonderful and the dark ones had a nice complexity, but I'm a honey novice so I really couldn't give any good comparisons to other plants and locales.

I'd love to try it again though. Anybody know where this could be found in Manhattan?

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Here's my recipe, which I put together after having made ice cream a few times and after consulting Culinary Artistry for "what goes with figs?".  :biggrin:  Oh, and I lied - I did use brown sugar in addition to the honey, though that could certainly be changed in the future.  Note, this makes a tiny batch, so triple the ingredients for a quart sized ice cream maker.

Fig-Port Ice Cream with mint & honey

4 dried figs, chopped finely and soaked for 15+ minutes in

2T port (or enough to cover)

1c whole milk

1T dried mint

1T thyme honey (or any wildflower honey)

1/4c brown sugar or sweetener

1 egg yolk

Put the mint and honey in the milk and scald it. ("Bad milk!" Um, not scold.... scald.) Beat the egg yolk and sugar together, then add some of the milk to the egg, mixing well. Finally dump the egg into the pan with the milk and cook gently until it slightly thickens or is just short of boiling. Either pick out the mint bits at this point or use a blender to render them tiny. Stir in the fig-port mess and chill for several hours, preferably overnight. Process in your ice cream maker when ready.

Andrea

http://tenacity.net

Thank you so much... can't wait to try it.

First day of posting on EG, be gentle.

Anybody heard of honey from Tenerife? I had it at the event last year with Wines of Spain.

Welcome! I don't know anything about this honey, except Tenerife is where one of my sons recently vacationed. :smile: However, from what I read, it sounds great.

Life is short; eat the cheese course first.

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I had some unexpected honey-pleasure today (now that sounds weird. never mind).

I had a leftover little tart shell from the chocolate tarts I made yesterday. I also had some of the honey orange glaze that I used to brush the chocolate tarts. The glaze was equal parts of marmelade and honey, warmed up until melted.

I put a dollop of cold creme fraiche in the tartlet shell, and topped with a tablespoon of the marmelade-honey mixture that was just barely warm.

It was sooo good.. so much better than the tarts I made yesterday. This would be a perfect after dinner sweet!

Edited by Chufi (log)
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Nobody's mentioned chestnut honey, which is one of my all-time favorites. Look for a nice Italian chestnut honey, which I think is more aromatic than the French version. That's the stuff to drizzle over cheese, preferably a Gorgonzola dolce.

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The pine nuts aren't brined.  Those are in a plastic jar.  He gets lots of things in bulk and packages it in various sizes.  Those are the best pine nuts I've found in this area... far superior to supermarket brands.

One of the things I'm most thrilled with are his pitted olives.  Always in the past when I found olives already pitted, they were not such good quality.  These, I prefer the taste over the other brands I've tried, and I don't have to go through the trouble of pitting them when needed.  I'm picky about oil-cured olives.  I've had some so bad, I couldn't swallow them!

Nice idea for brined green peppercorns...  We haven't done that.

I can't believe how much you pay for pine nuts in the States. I pay $1.50 for 100 grams.

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I had some unexpected honey-pleasure today (now that sounds weird. never mind).

LOL, good for you! :wub::biggrin:

Seriously that sounds like a real nice sweet treat you made.

Nobody's mentioned chestnut honey, which is one of my all-time favorites.  Look for a nice Italian chestnut honey, which I think is more aromatic than the French version.  That's the stuff to drizzle over cheese, preferably a Gorgonzola dolce.

Thanks for the suggestion. I have been planning to try drizzling some of this thyme honey on Gorgonzola, but I'm waiting to have some which is of better quality than what's in the house now.

I'm about to report back about the fig and Port and honey thyme ice cream, but first need to get my thoughts and notes in order.

Life is short; eat the cheese course first.

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Andrea, thank you for sharing your recipe and allowing me to play with it. :smile:

I had fresh figs, and I used fresh thyme instead of dried mint, so I turned this into Fig-Port Ice Cream with Honey and Thyme. I did triple the amount of milk and egg, since I have a quart size ice cream maker.

Before I go further I will mention that if anybody is so inclined, it would be great for someone else to make this and make modifications in order to refine this "recipe." It was too sweet for me. Russ liked the sweetness, but thought that I should have left it with the mint instead of thyme, and tried using fresh mint. I think that if I had gotten the sweetness right, and maybe used a smaller amount of figs, the thyme is the way to go. Another thing is that the honey is so thick, I have no idea how close to the amount I put in. How in the world do you measure that accurately? So here's what I did. Oh, and Andrea, I did properly scold the milk mixture... "Bad Milk!" LOL...

6 ounces fresh figs

4 tablespoons Port

3 cups whole milk

2 large sprigs fresh thyme

3 to 4 tablespoons thyme honey (or any wildflower honey)

3 egg yolks

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Wash the figs and cut off the steam ends. Cut into quarters, and place them in a small saucepan. Add the Port and cook over medium low heat, stirring often, about 20 minutes, until tender. The figs will absorb the Port. Cool, and then coarsely chop the figs and Port in a mini food processor. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan mix the honey into the milk, add the thyme sprigs, and slowly cook the mixture until hot and almost boiling. Remove from heat, and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Strain, and return to the saucepan.

Beat together the egg yolks and sugar. Whisk some of the milk mixture into the egg mixture, and then add the two mixtures together in the saucepan. Cook gently over medium heat, stirring, until just short of boiling and thickened. Remove from heat and stir in figs and Port. Reheat briefly if needed to restore thickness.

Chill for several hours, preferably overnight. Process in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.

...Suggestions? Any takers on playing some more with the fresh fig version?

Life is short; eat the cheese course first.

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I also have a friend who is an amateur bee keeper, and I only eat his honey now. I have no idea what kind of flowers the bees frequent. His hives are in Islington, so I guess his bees frequent London's parks. It blew my mind, its so good.

ps-I'm another fan of honey/greek yogurt/tahini.

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