This is another guest post from my brother-in-law, Adam. He is a food connoisseur and Director of Training, Talent and Community Partnership at Levy Restaurants
After the obligatory family Thanksgiving dinner, I find it best to invite friends over to an informal get-together with some good wine and tasty hors d’oeuvres. It’s a great way to unwind, especially if you had to spend most of the actual Thanksgiving with some formidable guests.
Cooking for a group in a NYC kitchen is challenging however it didn’t stop me from going all out! While the main dishes are an important element and required careful planning to cover myriad modern dietary restrictions, success at a Brooklyn Friendsgiving is determined by tons of booze and a charcuterie/cheese board that’s fit for Instagram, delicious and full of obscure ingredients to chat with your guests about.
This year my pièce de résistance was a vertical honey tasting of Brighton Honey Honeycomb. Vertical tastings are commonly seen in the wine industry to compare the qualities of different vintages produced by the same vineyard. This isn’t something you can normally lay hands-on in the honey world but, a boutique producer like Brighton honey can usually accommodate, besides having a beekeeper in the family has its benefits!
I offered two verities of combs: spring light honeycomb, and fall dark honeycomb. Due to the nature of crops available at those times for the bees to feed on there’s a surprisingly large difference.
The spring honeycomb is a pale golden yellow, bright and clear. The sweetness is light lending a fresh feel which is enhanced by the faintest whisper of mint. The finish is due to the bees harvesting from the mint that proliferates in my sister’s spring garden. It’s great on lightly toasted mild sourdough bread smeared with a young Brie and a healthy drizzle of honey and finished with a sprinkle of macadamia nuts.
The autumn comb is darker, moving towards amber in color. The flavor is warm and reminiscent of cinnamon. This is cozy inspiring honey! It has a deeper richer sweetness that I like to pair with a creamy Roquefort, on a piece of brown bread smeared with honey and sprinkled with pecans and dried cranberries.
