#97: A Spoonful of Honey

"The only reason for being a bee is to make honey.
And the only reason for making honey is so I can eat it."

Winnie the Pooh

Did anyone know that the bees from Africa make honey? When I think of African Bees I think of Killer Bees. One too many late night movies I suppose. Well, I'm glad they do because Zambezi Organic Forest Honey is really something special.

Hidden in a lush forest at the source of the mighty Zambezi River lives a special honeybee that feeds only on flowering trees. Gathered using sustainable methods, our traditional beekeepers help to preserve the forest as well as the bees.

I do not know much about honey and I am certainly no honey connoisseur. I purchase a bottle of honey from the local grocery store from time to time, mostly when it is called for in a recipe. When I have it in the house I sometimes add it to tea. The only reason I bought this special honey is because it is part of my project to taste each item on Food & Wine's 100 Tastes to Try for this year. #97 on the list is African Honey. Zambezie Honey was the recommended honey from Food & Wine.

I used this honey when I made Corn Bread with Scallions. However the honey flavor was not very noticeable in that recipe. So to really try it, I had to be like Winnie the Pooh and just stick my paw in a take a taste. It is so good! Ever since I have been having a finger full each night, straight out of the jar.

Honey has become all the rage lately. It is coming is all sorts of flavors and from all parts of the world. In fact, I just ordered some Lavender Honey from Spain at Tienda.com earlier today. Zambezie honey is made in Africa. I purchased this 16-ounce jar online from Zambezie's website for $9.95.

Zambezie Organic Forest Honey honey has so many things going for it. It's organic so it comes from pure sources. The bees live wild in the forests near the Zambezi River of Africa. Since the bees are in their natural habitat, they do not feed on anything except their natural diet of wild flowers. Their website describes the taste: "You first discern a pleasant woodsy aroma, with hints of toasted caramel. The taste is slightly spicy, with subtle tangs of red currant. The warm amber hue is reminiscent of sunrise over the African forest." Doesn't that just sound delicious? I'm not the only one who thinks so . . . Kate from Kate in the Kitchen also gave it a positive review.

Have any of you tried or heard of any other interesting honey's lately? Also, does anyone have any creative uses for honey?

eat, pray, love

I read Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert a few months ago (I listen to the audiobook) and I have been thinking about it lately. I loved this book! Maybe it is where I am in my life right now, but I have never been truly been inspired by a book by the way I have with this one. It is a cross between a woman's growth into an independant self that she likes, her travel experiences, and learning about cultures and foods from around the world. The book is separated into three parts. Eat: she is based in Rome and explores Italy. Pray: she is at an ashram in India learning about herself. Love: she is in Bali winding up her adventure and setting her paces for the next step in her life.

I want to listen to it again and maybe I will. The book was different than I thought it would be. I thought it would be more about her travels, not about a woman finding herself. So I kind of tuned out some of the first parts when she was in Italy. But I got completely caught up in her and her experiences once she got to India. She practices meditation and she goes through thinking how tedious some of these practices are and how unrealistic they are in every day life. But then she gets swayed over by her guru. I found her path very interesting.

Some of my favorite parts is how she described her relationships and the people she meets from all over the world. And when she goes to these places she lives there for four months each so we find out what life really is like. The foodie in me absolutly loves the way she describes not only the food but also the culture and why their food is an important part of the culture. The audiobook is read by the author herself and she seems like someone who thinks and feels the same things as me. I want to be her friend :)

#67: I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For . . . Curry?

When I saw that Exotic Ice Cream was number 67 on Food & Wine Magazine's 100 Tastes To Try in 2007, I was a bit suspicious. There seemed nothing new about exotic ice cream. I have been seeing mango and coconut ice creams on menus for years. But apparently mangoes and coconuts just do not cut it in the exotic category anymore.

Vosges Haute-Chocolate has now added ice-cream to their list of sweet treats. Probably best know for their truffles, Vosges has been playing with unique flavor combinations for years. I remember the first time I walked into the purple Vosges store in the Bloomingdale's building on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. It was such a small shop. I think this was in 1994 because my cousin had taken me there to sample chocolates we were going to give away as party favors to the guests at my bridal shower. Not only do they offer top-quality chocolate, but the flavors are so amazing they seem almost crazy the first time you read them. Try an Absinthe truffle that tastes like licorice and is sprinkled on top with ground Chinese star anise. Or their Sal de Mar which has sea-salt and caramel. You can even get your Italian fix with one of their truffles such as the one made with balsamic vinegar, dark chocolate and hazelnuts.

As soon as I discovered that the Exotic Ice Creams I needed to taste as part of my undertaking of Food & Wine's 100 tastes were from Vosges, I got excited. They have taken four of their best-selling truffles and have turned them into ice cream! Naga and Red Fire from their Exotic Collection and Pandan and Wattleseed from their Chocolate Chakra Collection are the four flavors Vosges selected to begin their foray into frozen treats.

Naga - Sweet Indian Curry and Fresh Young Coconut in a creamy custard ice cream.

Pandan - Pandan Leaf Extract, similar to vanilla wafers with a touch of pine nut, and dark chocolate

Red Fire - Ancho & Chipotle Chillies, Ceylon Cinnamon and dark chocolate

Wattleseed - Aboriginal Wattleseed, which tastes like chocolate, coffee, hazelnut and vanilla all in one, with macadamia nuts

I was so excited when I came home from work today and a box from Vosges Haute-Chocolate was sitting by my door. I knew the collection of Exotic Ice Creams were waiting for me. I ordered them from their online store since there is not a Vosges shop near me. I know, ordering ice cream to be delivered seems crazy, but the package arrived safe and sound and completely frozen. Inside the cardboard box was a silver type of cooler with two pieces of dry ice. The ice cream was frozen SOLID. So solid that I almost bent my spoon trying to taste one before it softened up. I had to wait for over an hour with them sitting out on my counter before I could get my first bite.

This item is a splurge. I could not just purchase one flavor, I had to buy all four. The ice cream cost $45 and over-night shipping was another $31. But once that first bit of ice cream melted on my tongue, I decided it was worth every penny.

Right off the bat I'd say that two of these ice creams are like no other ice creams you have ever tasted before. The best way I can describe Red Fire is to say that it tastes like Big Red chewing gum. You are hit right away with cinnamon, but the chiles give off a heat that lasts in your mouth for alot longer than you expect. I think Naga, with it's curry flavor, has to be the most interesting. This is the only one out of the three that is yogurt-based. At first it is sweet and coconuty. Then the curry comes through and lingers a while. This is the one out of the bunch that doesn't necessarily remind me of dessert. It is much more elegant. Like you should have some at tea-time with a glass of champagne.

The Pandan and Wattleseed flavors are more familiar, and yet the are both difficult for me to articulate. (hee hee, I just had to get up and taste them both again. are you jealous?) I suppose Pandan tastes similar to a hazelnut. It definately is richer and nuttier tasting than something like green tea (which is what I expected a Pandan Leaf to taste like for some reason). I don't know what a Wattleseed is, but I think it may be one of the best natural flavors on earth. Vosges is spot on with their description of this spice/nut: chocolate, coffee, hazelnut and vanilla all in one. And what could be better than that? Vosges Wattleseed ice cream delivers the ultimate indulgence for someone with a sophisticated sweet-tooth.

Am I happy with this splurge? Yes. The flavors are so complex that I can not imagine sitting down and eating a bowl of this ice cream like I would with mint-chocolate-chip. A spoonful or two really wakes up the tastebuds. So I think these ice creams will last me a long time.

note* a half of a cup of any of the flavors of ice cream is 8 Weight Watchers points.