Honey, I Ate the Goat Cheese!

I went out for dinner with a friend recently at a fancy restaurant. It was one of those places whose menu includes long descriptions of the ingredients in the dish and they all sound a little crazy. But the food is delicious. For dessert I ordered the cheese platter which came with a slice of hard cheese, a wedge of goat cheese, a drizzle of honey, and grilled baguette. Or, as the menu describes it: Vermont Butter and Cheese Company's Bijou (Soft Ripened, Goat's Milk) and Vermont Ayr (Firm, Aged, Cow's Milk) with Merrimack Valley Apiaries Honey, Fennel Pollen, Grilled Bread and EVOO. (I never figured out what the Fennel Pollen was.) Cheese and bread are my staples but the honey drizzle was a revelation! It was really lovely with the cheese, especially the soft goat cheese.

I wondered if it would be the same at home with regular supermarket goat cheese and honey. Because both the cheese and the honey are sweet, I used a multi-grain roll and had some smoked oysters on the side to temper the sweetness and it made for an exquisite little brunch.


Grilled Bread with Goat Cheese and Honey

• Whole-grain rolls or baguette, sliced on the diagonal into ¼-inch slices
• Olive oil
• Goat cheese
• Honey

1. Brush bread slices with olive oil and grill until lightly toasted. Spread goat cheese on grilled bread and drizzle with honey.

Honey-Mustard Chicken Salad

I love chicken salad; it’s so versatile. So easy to make and there almost endless variations. This time I made a honey-mustard chicken salad with almonds and tomatoes. Often, honey-mustard recipes go too heavy on both the honey and mustard for an overpowering combination of too sharp and too sweet. Here the honey and mustard are subtle; you can taste them but you can also taste the chicken itself. The toasted almonds add a nice crunch that complements the other flavors.


Honey-Mustard Chicken Salad (6 servings)

• 2 oz. sliced almonds
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp. whole grain mustard
• 2 tsp. honey
• 2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Put the almond slices in a small skillet and toast over medium heat, stirring frequently, until lightly browned. Remove from the heat and cool.
2. Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustards, honey, and pepper.
3. Put the chicken, tomatoes, and almonds in a large bowl. Add the mayonnaise mixture and mix gently to combine.
4. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend.