It's All about the Pairing: Chili & Honey

Stepping back, thinking about someone that enlightened you to a new idea, can be a good thing. 

I hadn't thought about Tony in over twelve years. He was jovial around the office, and he was kind to share. Knowing that I had a passion for trying any food that was not considered "American", one day Tony called me into the lunchroom to show me how his Latino family ate mangoes. He used a paring knife to cut the fruit off from the pit, placed it in a bowl and then sprinkled chili all over it. If memory serves me right, he then squeezed lime juice over it. It was delicious. 

At Sunday's farmers market, I purchased a golden melon. Having just come from spending the week at the 2012 Eastern Aquiculture Society conference in Burlington Vermont, I had to opportunity to to sit in on Michael Young's (a master chef in Belfast Ireland)  Cooking with Bees workshop--my thoughts were drawn to what could I pair with honey.

That's when Tony's chili on fruit came to mind. 

I thought, "What would it taste like if I cut a wedge of this golden melon, sprinkled chili all over it and drizzled it with a teaspoon of honey?"

The answer of course . . . it's heavenly! 

Seriously, don't be afraid to think outside of the box when it comes to experimenting with honey.  

Honey's not just for tea!  

I had this tasty melon treat three times this week--now get to your honey pairing and share your ideas with us all.

Thank you Tony for bringing me in on your families traditions.