When we think of using honey in the kitchen, we most often think of using it in our tea or coffee, on scones, English muffins and toast, or to top off a steaming bowl of oatmeal.  The variety of flavors and quality of our honey elevates even these simple uses.  But the use of our honey only begins there….     

At home on Barters Island, I use all our honey products in almost every aspict of mt cooking.  When our customers at the markets asked for ways to use the honey, we usually rattled off a few ideas, but I thought it would be nice to provide a short list of recipe ideas to inspire you in your kitchen.  If you find new ways to use our honey in your kitchen, please share them with us!  We love hearing new ways of using BIB honey.  

Below are some of the recipes I have developed using all varieties of our honey products....our Maine Mousse varieties, Bee Stinger and our ‘runny’ Honey.  

Using Maine Mousse, Bee Stinger and Runny Honey: A Kitchen Basic

Bee Stinger and our pure, raw ‘runny’ honey can be used in place of sugar in many recipes.  For baking with honey, make sure you use a recipe designed to use honey, because in baking, you have to be precise. If you ever find that your honey has crystallized, place it in a covered pan of very warm water to restore it to it’s ‘runny’ state, and change the water until the honey is runny!  The most frequent question that we get from customers is how to you use the Maine Mousse honey varieties.  Maine Mousse is 100% honey with nothing added except organic fruits and spices.  It has a thick “mousse” like consistency so it can be used as a glaze, a filling and stirred into sauces and dressings.  If you are mixing it into room temperature or cold wet ingredients (like adding it to salad dressing, you may need to use a blender (or immersion blender) to make sure it mixes well.  The other option is to warm it up a little with some of the liquid so that it will mix easily with the other ingredients. 

Appetizers 

~Bee Stinger over Goat Cheese- People swoon over this 5-minute appetizer, and it could not be easier or faster.  Directions: Open Goat Cheese, pour Bee Stinger over it, serve with crackers and prepare for accolades!  Seriously, the fastest, best appetizer ever to take to a party…. If you can find local goat cheese at a farmers market, it’s the best there is!  

~Sweet Curry Brie- Add curry powder to Bee Stinger (to taste) and mix in a few chopped dried fruits and nuts (I like apricots and raisins and cashews).  Pour over Brie (or any soft cheese like cream cheese) and serve with crackers.  

~Stuffed Dates/Figs- Dates and figs seem to be on every charcuterie board I see these days.  slice open pitted dates or soft figs to form a pocket.  Put a small amount of any Maine Mousse- into the pocket and add a whole almond.  You can wrap it in a piece of prosciutto and secure with a toothpick, but I like them just with the honey and almond.  

~Sausage Bites-  We happen to get some amazing sausages from fellow vendors at our local farmers markets.  We often serve the sausages with a small dish of honey for dipping.  It can be any variety of honey, but we love to use Maine Mousse Honey Butter mixed with a bit of grainy mustard. The combination is so very good.  We’ve also been known to use good ole store-bought Lil Smokies and, after heating them in a sauté pan, drizzle them with Bee Stinger.  Your guests won’t leave a single one!   

~Blue Crostini Bites-Toast slices of a baguette under the broiler.  Place a small slice of prosciutto, a very thin slice of pear or apple and a light sprinkle of blue cheese.  Broil just until cheese starts to bubble.  Drizzle with raw ‘runny’ honey.   

~Chicken Wings- Bee Stinger on Chicken Wings is amazing, even the frozen ones from the store. The air fryer works great on these.    

Drinks

Honey is a great addition to tea or lemonade.  It also opens us a whole new way to enjoy your evening cocktails!  …Just a reminder about how to mix honey into the drinks.  Honey doesn’t mix well into cold drinks but you can use it straight from the jar if you blend the drink in a blender or use an immersion blender.  I like the frothy consistency that blending it creates. Alternatively, you can mix the Maine Mousse or Bee Stinger with a small amount of warm water to make it more ‘mixable’, and you can stir it in.   

~Maine Mousse Martinis- Add ½-1 T of your favorite Maine Mousse to any martini to create a signature drink.  Our Barters Island friends and neighbors, Ken and Dave served us what we now call the Classic Maine Mousse Martini…made with Blueberry -Lemon Maine Mousse.  It’s so pretty with a sprig of rosemary or mint and a few blueberries.  It was so delicious that we make it for our guests now!  Your ginger-loving friends will love our Gingersnap Mousse Martinis…made with Gentle Ginger with a piece of candied ginger on a toothpick as a stir stick.  For the holidays, what could be more gorgeous than a Cranberry Orange Mousse Martini decorated with an orange peel and a few cranberries?  We think you can take it from here….

~Bee Stinger Margaritas- A margarita is my favorite mixed drink!  We use the classic 3-2-1 recipe!  3 parts tequila-2 parts of a good orange liquor and 1 part lime juice. It makes the perfect margarita!  But when I discovered spicy margaritas, I’ve never looked back. Adding Bee Stinger Honey to the basic margarita puts it over the top! First, rub the rim your glass with Bee Stinger before dipping it in salt or sugar.  For the drink, make your margarita using my recipe or one you like.   Add 1/2  to 1 T of Bee Stinger right into recipe,  (1 T will make it pretty spicy so start with less…) I add a little bit of extra lime juice so that the drink is not too sweet….  

Salads

I could write a whole book on the way that I use Maine Mousse in my salads.  I love simple, clean salad dressings that let the flavors of my salad come through. I usually use a mild oil and  rice wine vinegar (not flavored) to let other ingredients shine! But if you live in or visit Boothbay Harbor, Eventide Specialty offers the most delicious olive oils and vinegars you have ever tasted.  I’ve included a note about ones I’ve tried, but honestly, you have to go in that store and taste what they have, and like me, you will think of a million ways to use them.  

The Basic Recipe for a large salad is: 

½ c oil- I use a mild tasting olive oil or avocado oil 

¼-1/3 c. unflavored rice wine vinegar- or any vinegar you prefer (Check out the vinegars at Eventide in Boothbay Harbor…. They are amazing.  

1 T (or to taste) Maine Mousse- I use 1½ T but I like things a bit sweet.

Greens- I usually use leafy greens like butter lettuce, but also include other options in the recipes below

Optional but delicious:  cheese, nuts, fruits, olives, capers (see recipes below for suggestions) 

~I use a 2 cup measuring cup and an immersion blender to mix all the ingredients, or other options suggested previously.

~Made-in-Maine Blueberry-Lemon Salad

Make the basic recipe above using Blueberry Lemon Maine Mousse. (Using Blueberry Balsamic vinegar from Eventide is amazing this recipe!).  I use a leafy, tender lettuce for this salad and goat cheese (from Fuzzy Udder if you can get it), pecans and fresh blueberries as a topping.  

~Orange Cranberry Maine Mousse Fennel Salad

Fennel makes a delicious salad!  For this salad, you will need:

1-2 Fennel bulbs, a mild olive oil, orange juice or Orange Balsamic from Eventide, a navel orange, black olives a red onion and nuts…. I love pistachios on this salad.) 

~Use a very sharp knife or a mandoline to slice a bulb of fennel into super thin slices.  Sprinkle them with salt and stir.  Set aside for 20-30 minutes while you make your meal.   

~Make your salad dressing using the recipe above but use a bit of orange juice instead of rice wine vinegar.  

~Drain the fennel.  Add your Orange Cranberry Maine Mousse and mix..  

~Assemble salad by placing lettuce leaves on a plate.  Top with dressed fennel mixture.  I top with whatever of these toppings I have on hand?  fresh orange segments, black olives, a few very thinly sliced red onions, dried cranberries and pistachios(or other nut).

~Fall Harvest Salad with Cinnamon or Pumpkin Spice Maine Mousse

Make a basic dressing using Cinnamon Maine Mousse.  I sometimes substitute Apple Cider Vinegar in this recipe, but if you can get the Apple Balsamic from Eventide, that’s the way to go!  I can’t say enough about this vinegar.  Make your salad with the following:

A firm lettuce like romaine, arugula or my favorite, massaged kale.  (Massaged kale is kale that has been torn into small pieces and massaged to relax the fibers and make it softer before using it in the salad). 

Crisp Apples cut into bite size pieces (I don’t peel them),Thin slices of carrot,Pumpkin Seeds or Walnuts (I don’t always toast them, but they are better when I do!) ,Crumbled Goat Feta or Polar Vortex, a blue cheese from Fuzzy Udder,  or a cheese of your choice, and a cup or so of roasted bite-size pieces of butternut squash or sweet potato- The salad is good without these, but the addition is over the top good!

~Asian Inspired Salad

I love Asian food!  It is so simple and fresh tasting.  I make this salad to serve with fish and rice.  For the dressing, start with the basic recipe, except I use a milder oil like avocado or vegetable oil and also add 1-2 T of sesame oil.  To your rice wine vinegar, add 1 T of soy sauce and 1 T of either Orange Cranberry or Gentle Ginger Maine Mousse.  Use a firm lettuce like iceberg or romaine, or you can use  shredded cabbage (I like Napa).  Dress the salad and top  with crisp sliced veggies like bell pepper, cucumber, celery, lots of scallions.  Before serving sprinkle with chopped almonds or peanuts and some crispy Chinese noodles.  Serve alongside some seared chicken or tofu with Bee Stinger for an extra treat.  

Meat and Fish

~Bee Stinger Salmon

This is our favorite way to make salmon.  Bake or grill your salmon as usual.  2-3 minutes before it is finished cooking, , brush it with a generous amount of Bee Stinger….and return to the oven for a 2-3 minutes.   It is my all time favorite entree ever.  (I serve it with sweet potatoes mashed with butter and a generous dollop of Gentle Ginger Maine Mousse.  Add a simple green salad or vegetable and you have a meal fit for your most favorite friends).  The ratio of deliciousness to the amount of work required is a perfect ratio!

~Pork Tenderloins

I like pork tenderloins because they are so easy to make.  Like the salmon, they are easy to cook and benefit from the addition of Maine Mousse or Bee Stinger after they are done.  Bee Stinger is delicious on them, but we also like to mix a little Gentle Ginger Maine Mousse and some soy sauce or try Cranberry Orange Maine Mousse and chopped rosemary also creates a delightful combination.  

Vegetables

Roasted Vegetables Fit for a Queen (Bee)

Roast root vegetables with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt until caramelized on the bottom.  I use a 350 degree oven and roast them for as long as it takes to get crispy color on the bottom… 45 minutes to an hour for most veggies!  The secret to the best roast vegetables.  Preheat your pan!  You’ll get that caramelization that makes your veggies delicioius.  Brush with Bee Stinger or any of the Maine Mousse varieties when they are done.  Serve immediately-  Here are suggestions of which product to use, but you can use your imagination for veggies not listed!

~Root Veggies and Squash-For Carrots, Beets, Rutabaga, Beets, Sweet Potatoes, Butternut or any kind of squash-  Try Gentle Ginger, Ceylon Cinnamon, Honey Butter, Orange Cranberry, Pumpkin Spice or Bee Stinger

~For Brussels Sprouts, Fennel or thick Onion slices- Bee Stinger or Orange Cranberry 

Desserts

I could never begin to list the sweet recipes that are better when you use honey.  Honey and sugar have similar numbers of calories so you aren’t dieting or reducing your blood sugar levels when you substitute honey. But honey has unique advantages over sugar.  It contains beneficial antioxidants, minerals, Vitamin C and B vitamins and amino acids.  Antioxidants reduce cell damage, which reduces your risk for other diseases.  And it has antimicrobial properties.  Using honey in place of sugar in your desserts or tea has a distinct advantage over sugar.  

The honey dessert recipes I love most are the ones that I can whip up in a minute and get rave reviews!  At the top of that list is this simple, simple recipe that we took to the local Garden Club meeting when we spoke there a while back….  It was DEVOURED and the feedback was tremendous.  This recipe uses regular our raw honey that we affectionately call “Runny Honey”.  It is adaptable to whatever fruits you like or what is in season.  It puts on a stunning display of gorgeous colored fruits, sparkling from the drizzle of honey.  It seems to simple and good to be true.  But try this once and it will become a favorite.  Better double the recipe!  You will need:

-1-2 packages of mascarpone or cream cheese.  Try to find mascarpone in the cheese section (not dairy section- it truly makes it so much better.  Scoop the mascarpone onto a serving dish and smooth it into a mound with depression in the top to hold the honey. 

-2 ½ cups of fruits you love.  I love a combination of colors like blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and kiwi for the beautiful colors.  But there is no limit to your imagination.  You can use peaches, plums, pitted cherries or tropical toppings like pineapple, mango, coconut, etc.  For the holidays, try a combination of red berries and decorate with mint leaves.

-BIB pure raw honey 

-Sweet crackers

When you are ready to serve, give it a very generous drizzle of Barters Island Bees’ Raw Honey.  I like to use slightly sweet crackers like Carr’s Whole Wheat or Goya Maria cookies, but you can experiment with saltier or buttery ones, too. 

Enjoy cooking and never run out of BIB HONEY PRODUCTS!  

Send your recipes or buy our honey all year long at:  bartersislandbees.com