When my friends came back from a trip to Penticton, B.C. (which I had to miss), they presented me with a care package filled with local wines chocolates, and other edible goodies.
I jumped in joy at the sight of a sticky, amber piece of fresh honeycomb. Immediately, my mind darted at the numerous possibilities that this delicate slab of liquid gold held.
I decided to feature the honeycomb in an amuse bouche alongside some other local B.C. specialties: blue cheese, organic cherries, and wine.
The extra cherries and remaining wine syrup was amazing on top of ice cream the following night.
Just for kicks, here’s a snippet of conversation that occurred on my facebook wall upon the mentioning of using fresh honeycomb.
A vocal vegan friend exclaimed:
“Noo…. not vegan friendly! The comb is built by the bees as a nest for their larvae… and honey is bee barf (can be regurgitated many times) that they make as their food source… so, no not vegan friendly :(”
In response, a riotous friend replied:
“also, the bees belong to a really terrible union with high union dues that they can’t afford to pay since they get less than minimum wage for all their barfing efforts.”
And on that mental imagery…
Ingredients
- 8 Cherries, pitted and sliced in half
- Blue Cheese
- Honeycomb
- 4 Almonds, sliced in half
- 2 C Red Wine
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- Zest of 1 Lemon
- 2 tsp Sugar
Directions
Bring the wine, cinnamon, lemon zest, and sugar to a boil. Lower to medium heat and reduce the mixture by half. Add the cherries and poach them gently for one minute. Remove from the heat and allow the cherries to macerate for half an hour.
Remove from the poaching wine and allow cherries to cool. Use an ice bath if you are in a hurry.
Meanwhile, roll 8 pieces of blue cheese into the size of cherry pits. Refrigerate until the cherries cool.
Assembly
When ready to serve, place a piece of blue cheese between two cherry halves and press lightly. Place on a serving spoon.
Slice a piece of honeycomb (1 cm cube) and place beside the stuffed cherry. Lastly, top with an almond half.
Serve as one-bite delights.
Food writer and
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