Nuts 'n Honey

This recipe concludes Honey Week! First up we had Cinnamon Honey Butter, Rosemary Flatbread with Blue Cheese, Grapes and Honey and now Honey Roasted Cinnamon Almonds- yum!

I actually made these for Easter, but got so behind in my postings so I'm finally blogging about it. These were delicious. I quadrupled the recipe and packaged them in cello bags for friends and family. To make them more festive, I added m&m chocolate speckled eggs to the mix for more color.

These were toasty, crunchy, sweet, cinnamony and quite addictive. The smell was amazing and a treat in itself. Make a bowl and leave on the counter for snacking or for gifts, nut lovers will be glad you did.

Honey Roasted Cinnamon Almonds from Stephanie's Kitchen

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups whole natural almonds

Spread the almonds out on a baking sheet and roast in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until lightly roasted. Keep a close eye on them to make sure they do not burn. Stir occasionally.

In a medium saucepan, bring the butter and the honey to a simmer, stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes. Add the almonds and simmer for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

In a large bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon until well combined. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the almonds from the saucepan to the sugar mixture. Mix until the almonds are well coated.

Transfer the almonds to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put under the broiler for just a few minutes, just until sugar melts and caramelizes.

Let cool and break apart if necessary.

NOTE: There will be a little honey syrup leftover after you strain all your almonds. Let this cool completely and it will thicken into a nice caramel. Eat it with a spoon or drizzle over ice cream- delish!

Also, I'm notorious about burning anything/everything that goes under the broiler, so put it on low and pull up a chair and watch them or they'll burn and what a dissappointment that would be. Burnt nuts are never good.

One more thing, it may take a while, but you need to work in small batches. Strain a spoon full of nuts at a time and cost in the cinnamon sugar. Any more than that and they'll clump together and not be so pretty.

And my honey is finally home. I'm a happy lady :-)

Savory, Sweet, Crispy, Chewy, Gooey & Delicious

Looks like this week is turning into Honey Week! On Monday, I posted a recipe for Cinnamon Honey Butter, today it's this wonderful Rosemary Flatbread with honey and coming later in the week another honey recipe, so stay tuned!

I found this recipe in Food & Wine Magazine two or three months ago and I was immediately intrigued by it's components. I set out to make it and it was so good. I ate half of it by myself in one night, and the rest of the a day or so later, reheated in the toaster oven. My husband did not like this at all. He walked into the kitchen and said "It smells like funky cheese" then left. He tasted it, but that was enough for him, so I ended up making him a sandwich for dinner. His loss.

I have to tell you, the rosemary flatbread was AMAZING! It had the perfect texture, crisp on the edges, slightly chewy, substantial, but not heavy. It would make a wonderful pizza crust on it's own with a simple tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and Italian sausage. I will definitely be making the flatbread again and again. I think my husband would like it with different toppings. I happened to like the tang of the cheese, the sweetness of the honey and the burst of the grapes, with the perfuminess of the rosemary in the background. Seriously, bookmark this recipe and make it SOON! You won't be disappointed.

Rosemary Flatbread w/ Blue Cheese, Grapes and Honey from Food & Wine

• 1 envelope active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 cups bread flour, plus more for rolling
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 pound red grapes (1 1/2 cups)
• Coarse sea salt
• 3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon snipped chives, optional

In a large bowl, whisk the yeast and sugar with 1/4 cup of the flour. Stir in 1/4 cup of the warm water and let stand until slightly foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the rosemary, fine salt, pepper and the remaining 1 3/4 cups of flour and 1/2 cup of water; stir until a dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a draft-free spot until billowy and doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450°. Place a pizza stone in the bottom of the oven, and preheat for at least 30 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Press and stretch the dough into a 13-inch round, then transfer to a lightly floured pizza peel. Press the grapes into the dough and sprinkle with sea salt.

Slide the flatbread onto the hot stone and bake for about 12 minutes, until the crust is golden and the grapes have begun to release some of their juices. Sprinkle the blue cheese on top and bake for about 2 minutes longer, until the cheese melts. Slide the flatbread onto a work surface and drizzle with the honey and sprinkle with the chives. Cut into wedges and serve.

NOTE: You need a pizza stone to make this, so plan ahead. Also I used Gorgonzola because I think it's less pungent than some other blues. I did this for my husband's sake but it didn't seem to make any difference to him. He still didn't like it.

I Heart Honey Butter!

This is a very simple recipe and a quick post because I had an exhausting weekend and I'm tired. This is something I made for Mother's Day brunch that I served with the biscuits I shared with you all last week. Enjoy!

Mr. H is out of town til Wednesday so I'm a lonely girl :-( Maybe you'll get another recipe tomorrow...

Cinnamon Honey Butter Hearts

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temp.
• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 2 tsp. brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. salt

In a medium bowl, whip your butter with an electric mixer on medium speed til lighter in consistency and color-about 2-3 minutes. Add your brown sugar, honey, cinnamon and salt. Whip to combine.

Serve at room temperature for easy spreading.

NOTE: I had heart shaped silicone molds that I bought a year ago from the Target $1 aisle that were barely used. After the butter was prepared, I placed the butter in the molds and froze them. Once hardened, I plopped them out onto a plate and garnished with more honey and a pinch of cinnamon for color. I refrigerated them overnight and set them on the dining table an hour before the guests arrived do the butter was soft and spreadable. It was a hit and everyone thought it was store bought!

This recipe is easily doubled or tripled.

Hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day!