Sweet!

March 2nd, another lovely evening at Tamerlane with our hosts, Tanya and Erik, although due to the lack of copious amounts of wine, it was considered an unofficial OOI event!  Just a great opportunity to catch up after a long, cold winter.

"A day without a friend is like a pot without a single drop of honey left inside."

Winnie the Pooh (A. A. Milne)

What comes to mind when you think of honey?  For me, it's childhood memories of peanut butter and honey sandwiches, hot lemon honey tea (brought to me in bed by my mom when I was sick!), Winnie the Pooh with the honey pot stuck on his head...  Sweet but in a good way, comforting, organic (bee regurge!)... This was an opportunity to try a number of honey types that Tanya had collected over the last few months, and was kind enough to share with us! 

The evening started with a honey sparkler cocktail with a fig garnish. 

We then moved into the tasting of 8 different honeys.  Honey has been called "the soul of flowers".  What was amazing was the different colours, textures, and flavours. 

As usual, Tanya and Erik had an unbelievable array of cheeses and charcuterie to sample, with or without honey, washed down with some lovely rich beers.  And some tasty small plates (brussel sprouts wrapped in artisinal bacon, marinated chicken) with some wine.

The evening ended with a taste of Quebec mead - a honey wine.  Rich and thick, like a dessert wine.  Perfect with thick Greek yogurt (none of this 0% fat stuff!) and fruit drizzled with - you guessed it - honey! 

Pooh had a little too much....

 

What comes to mind when you think of honey? Please add your thoughts, additions or corrections in the comments section below!