A taste of honey

LOCAL CHEFS AND RESTAURANTS SHARE IRRESISTIBLY SWEET RECIPES WHERE A LITTLE LIQUID GOLD (LOCAL HONEY) GOES A LONG WAY

Story by Bailey Gilliam

Local honey is an essential ingredient to keep in your kitchen pantry. It never spoils or expires and can be used with just about any cooking method, hot or cold. Just a dash of liquid gold will add unique flavor and sweetness to desserts, salads, main dishes, marinades and more. Make your meals more buzzworthy by recreating these honey-infused recipes from local chefs and restaurants.

Quite a pickle

Nectar Farm Kitchen knows a thing or two about honey — just look at its logo! Try this recipe for a sweet twist on the classic chicken sandwich with mayonnaise and pickles.

NECTAR FARM KITCHEN

Spicy Honey Chicken & Pickle Sandwich

Ingredients

1 6-ounce pickle-brined chicken breast

2 slices country white bread

3 cups seasoned flour (garlic powder, salt, pepper, paprika)

2 cups buttermilk

2 ounces chili oil

1 tablespoon chili rub (chili powder, granulated onion, granulated garlic, brown sugar, cayenne, salt)

2 ounces Duke’s mayonnaise

4 ounces dill pickle chips

3 ounces Horsecreek Honey

4 ounces fry chips

Directions [1] Pound the chicken breast until thin. Brine in pickle juice overnight. [2] Drain the pickle juice from the chicken. Coat in seasoned flour, dredge in buttermilk and coat again in seasoned flour. Fry in hot oil until golden brown and crispy. [3] Toss the chicken in chili oil and season with chili rub. Toast and spread mayonnaise on the bread. Put chicken on bread and top with pickles. [4] Drizzle honey over chicken and pickles and top with the other half of the white bread. Serve with fry chips.

Honey-tongued devil

In this cocktail recipe from the team at Alexander’s, the classic sazerac is enhanced with a drop of honey.

ALEXANDER’S RESTAURANT

Honey Sazerac

Ingredients

Lucid absinthe rinse

Local honey

Woodford Rye Whiskey

Bitters

Lemon twist

Directions [1] Combine honey, bitters and a splash of whiskey in a mixing glass and muddle until mixed. [2] Add more whiskey and ice, then stir. [3] In a separate, chilled corksicle glass, add absinthe rinse and turn the glass to coat the inside; pour out any excess. [4] Strain the stirred cocktail into the corksicle glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

A honey of a cookie

Flaky and butter, the madeleine is a classic treat. Known for not being cloyingly sweet, honey is the perfect ingredient to add sweetness with a different depth of flavor. Check out this recipe from Vineyard’s Pascal Vignau.

VINEYARD

Brown Butter Madeleine

Ingredients (Makes 30)

2 whole eggs

6 ounces sugar

1 ounce local honey

9 ounces flour

3 ounces baking powder

Zest from 1/2 orange

8 ounces brown butter

1 tablespoon anise liquor

Directions [1] In an electric mixer, add eggs, sugar, honey and orange zest. Blend to silky paste at a low speed. Add flour, baking powder and liquor. [2] Mix in warm brown butter, small amounts at a time. [3] Scoop into well-buttered Madeleine mold and cook for 7 to 10 minutes in a 400-degree oven. You also can use a pastry piping bag to fill the mold 3/4 of the way.

Crunch time

Take your breakfast to the next level with this breakfast fruit crunch recipe from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa. It has healthy ingredients to jumpstart your day and delicious flavors to put you in a good mood.

CASSANDRA’S KITCHEN

Ina Garten’s Breakfast Fruit Crunch

Ingredients

1 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking (not instant) oatmeal

1/2 cup sweetened, shredded coconut

1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons honey

8 to 10 strawberries, diced

1/2 cup blueberries

2 cups plain yogurt

1/4 fresh pineapple, preferably golden, diced

Directions [1] Heat the oven to 350 degrees. [2] To make the granola, toss the oatmeal, coconut, almonds, oil and honey together in a large bowl until they are completely combined. Pour onto a sheet pan and bake, stirring occasionally with a metal spatula, until the mixture turns an even golden brown, about 20 minutes. [3] Remove the granola from the oven, scrape the pan with the spatula to loosen the granola and allow to cool, stirring once. [4] Combine the strawberries, blueberries and pineapple in a bowl. In 4 parfait glasses or tall glasses, alternately layer half the fruit, then half the yogurt, and sprinkle with the cooled granola. Repeat with a second layer of fruit, yogurt and granola.

Let’s play chicken

If you crave the taste of Nashville’s famed hot chicken, this sandwich recipe is for you. Enjoy that spice balanced perfectly with a helping of local honey. Sweet and savory marry perfectly in this easy recipe from Poseidon.

POSEIDON

Nashville Chicken Sandwich

Ingredients

1 6-ounce chicken breast

1 4-ounce sesame seed bun

2 ounces confetti slaw

Bread and butter pickles

2 ounces local honey

4 ounces chili oil

3 cups seasoned flour (garlic powder, salt, pepper, paprika)

Liquid egg wash (2 eggs, 2 tablespoons milk; beat together)

Directions [1] Place chicken in liquid egg wash then directly into the seasoned flour. Dredge heavily and repeat the process for the “double dredge” and submerge into the fryer at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. [2] Bake the sesame bun until the texture is toasted, preventing the bread from becoming soggy from the chili oil. [3] Once the bun is toasted, pull the chicken out from the fryer and submerge it into a spicy chili oil, coating the entirety of the breading. [4] Place a spoonful of local honey on the bottom of the bun, followed by spicy chicken, 4-5 bread and butter pickles, confetti slaw and top with your bun.

Look at that bundt

This Honey Bundt Cake from Odd Birds Café may be incredibly simple to make, but with its beautiful mahogany exterior, it is quite a show-stopper. The orange blossom water is optional, but it highlights the honey flavor. You also could drizzle the cake with honey-lavender syrup for another delicious twist.

ODD BIRDS CAFÉ

Honey Bundt Cake

Ingredients

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup honey

1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil

Zest of 2 small lemons or 1 orange

2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon or orange juice

2 eggs (room temperature)

3/4 tsp orange blossom water (optional)

1 cup milk (room temperature)

Directions [1] Heat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 10-cup bundt pan with baking spray with flour such as Baker’s Joy. [2] Whisk together the dry ingredients and set them aside. [3] In a small bowl, combine the sugars and add the lemon or orange zest. Rub the zest and sugar together with your fingers to release the citrus oils. [4] Add the sugar mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and add in honey, oil, lemon or orange juice, eggs, and orange blossom water, if using. Mix on medium speed until well combined. Scrape the bowl to make sure the honey has been fully incorporated. [5] With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. [6] Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes until a wooden pick or cake tester comes out clean. [7] Let the cake cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes. Invert onto a wire baking rack to cool completely and enjoy.