“Honey you so sweet,

Sugar got a long way to get you…”     Erykah Badu

According to Greek mythology Zeus was born in a cave and raised by bees, where each day a nymph by the name of Makris fed him honey, making it a “food of the Gods.” The word Honey has many applications, it’s a term of endearment, a way to describe something sweet, and has given a whole new meaning to the existence of bees. Honey has graced the earth longer than we have and simply put, it is something that gives me an ecstatic sensory experience.

Somehow bees have this mystical power and knowledge of the earth, resulting in their laborious creation of such an incredibly useful and raw substance. A few years ago I went through a phase where I gulped down a tablespoon of honey every morning and ate a bowl of yogurt every night. This lasted for almost two years, I wasn’t disciplined enough to do it everyday, but this little ritual took place at least 5 days a week.

The yogurt idea came from a T.V. interview I had seen years ago with my friend Damon’s great grandfather Setrak. Setrak Boyajian, a.k.a. the “Yogurt Man,” was born in 1884 and immigrated to the U.S. from Hajen, Turkey in 1906 and lived to be 107 years old. One of the local news channels interviewed him a couple of years prior to his death during which Mr. Boyajian attributed his long and healthy life to his commitment to a daily bowl of yogurt, and specifically the particular culture that he used to make the yogurt. He swore that yogurt prolonged his life and helped keep his brain intact. After seeing this interview and talking about it with Damon, I took this piece of wisdom from this Armenian elder and began to believe in the power of yogurt and eventually made it a part of my regular diet.

The inclusion of a tablespoon of honey came from the voice of my childhood, Julie Andrews. Life sometimes can create a sour taste in your mouth so the silly girl in me thought “if I have a spoon full of sugar every morning, it will make my day just a little sweeter.” I tried the sugar and it was way too much. I didn’t like it, so honey came to mind. After a practice run I decided that a tablespoon of honey was much better than a teaspoon of sugar.  Even though the honey was much sweeter, its appeal also had a lot to do with acknowledging the hard work of many, many busy bees. One twelfth of a teaspoon of honey equals the entire life’s work of a single bee.

Everything about honey excites me, its history and cultivation, the distinct smell, varietals, its sticky texture, and those beautiful light and dark shades of glistening gold. For those couple of years, its sweet nectar coated my throat and heart almost every morning, and in my mind it truly brought an extra sense of sweetness to my life. The yogurt ritual continues nightly but the honey has adopted new ways to make its way to my stomach. Nowadays when I’m cooking, I use honey more often as a substitute for sugar, and sometimes when I need a substitute for honey I use Agave Syrup.

Since the blog is called Honey, I felt a little pressured to have to drum up some spectacular Honey recipe for you. Instead, I decided to use honey in the simplest form by pairing it with cheese. I’m always being asked by friends “so what do you think I should serve with this and that?” Food pairing is such an imperative part of what I do daily that I have become a sponge, learning all that I can about flavor profiles. I’m lucky that I lived in the Bay Area and had easy access to wander between Napa and Sonoma and soak in all the fresh produce, wine and cheese that I could.

This non -recipe is a simple cheese plate that’s a great starter for a dinner party or just an excuse to taste the wonderful things that happen in your mouth when cheese, wine and honey come together. I chose a few cheeses that lean on the French side, my favorite, Goat cheese being among them. Just a drizzle of honey on top, paired with a chilled glass of wine smoothly brings out the flavor of each of these fromages. Both red and white wines are easily paired with cheese but when adding honey to the mix, white somehow works better. Chardonnay, Chenin, Pinot and Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier are what I usually like to pair with cheese and honey. You can also include reds like Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel.  There are no finite rules when it comes to pairing, for me it is all about the chemistry. I also love pairing honey and cheese with a good Belgian Ale, the ale acts as a great medium for honey.

The power of Honey has been immortalized by history, mythology and human consumption. The famous Armenian writer Hovhannes Tumanyan wrote the story “A Drop of Honey,” as a reaction to the troubling issues of the 20^th Century. The fable is based on an Armenian tale from the Middle Ages about how one spilled drop of honey caused bloodshed between two people who lived in neighboring villages, and then between those two villages, and then between states. I remember reading that story as a child and learning that life can become very complicated even by the smallest of things. I’m happy to say though, as an adult, honey has become a reminder and an inspiration for the simple and sweeter things that life has to offer.

Cheese

Blue (Stilton or Castello)                             Goat (Humbolt Fog, herbed)

Brie                                                                  Gruyere

Camembert                                                    Parmegiano- Reggiano

Comte

I buy most of my cheeses from Nicole’s Gourmet in South Pasadena. She has an incredible array of amazing cheeses and products. If you live in L.A. head over to Nicole’s, she’s very sweet and informative. Serve the cheeses with Black Mission figs (if they out of season, Trader Joe’s carries dry figs), a French baguette or crackers, honey and your favorite wine. It’s an exercise in simplicity that is a weekly ritual I gladly partake in and as the Armenian fable goes, a little drop of honey goes a long way.

Fung and I have been friends for a long time, I can’t remember exactly the first time I met her, but I think my mom might have introduced us. Ever since we met, it has been good times all the time. She never fails to amaze me with her earthy undertones and her constant reminder of how generous the gods can be.

What I love most about her is her diversity and ability to go into any situation and truly bring the best out of herself, but most importantly, Fung knows better than anyone how to be a team player. Most of the time she’s been cast in the supporting role rather than the lead. It’s her adaptability and lack of being an attention whore that makes her so balanced, her talent speaks for itself, it is not forced.

The truth is Fung has a lot to of offer, and I’ve come across many people in my life who don’t like her, I always give them the side eye when they talk about how much they hate her earthiness. What they fail to realize is that the earthiness she so strongly encompasses is exactly why I can’t stay away from her. The only downside to it is that she does tend to get a little dirty, and due to her dainty nature she often has to be delicately brushed. So whenever she comes over we always hang out in the kitchen and I take my wooden brush and gently brush the dirt off her shoulders and then she’s ready to shine.

Fung and I have played around a lot throughout the years, she’s become somewhat of a muse; the narcissist in me believes she’s been put on this earth solely for my pleasure.  It is for this reason that I decided to dedicate this story to my love for Fung, and how much I appreciate our years of adventure, experiments and absolute harmony. According to hieroglyphics, the Egyptians use to see her as a symbol of immortality; the Pharaohs were so fascinated by her that no commoner was allowed to mingle with her. She’s so special that her mere presence is vital to the rehabilitation of forests, even though she could be very toxic at times.

Ok, so by now you can see my slight obsession with mushrooms has gotten to the point where I’m humanizing a fungus and pretending like she’s my friend, but I just can’t help it. Every time I eat mushrooms I feel like I’m eating the earth and getting one step closer to nature. One type in particular, Truffles, are inexplicably my favorite fungi put on this earth. If I were given one last meal it would be a big plate of fatty bone marrow with white and black truffles shaved on top. Affording them is another story, so as an alternative I always keep a stash of really good white truffle oil in the kitchen. I find different excuses for putting it on top of everything from grilled cheese sandwiches, soups, popcorn and especially eggs, Truffles and eggs have an incredible marriage of flavors.

This Mushroom Ménage à trois consists of  three recipes that allow Fung to shine. All three help bring her flavor out as much as possible.  The first one is a Truffled Wild Mushroom  Cream soup followed by the Goat Cheese, Phyllo, Mushroom Cups and lastly the Pomegranate Shitake Mushrooms. I hope that I do her justice with these recipes, I felt compelled to pay homage to her and give her back some of that love she’s bestowed upon me for so long.

Notes: Mushrooms should never be washed because their spongy texture retains water easily and when cooked it greatly affects the texture, so they should be brushed gently with very little water on the brush. I also like my mushrooms al dente like pasta to help avoid a mushy texture, Pomegranate Molasses can be found in most Middle Eastern stores or here.

Wild Mushroom Cream Soup

Yield 4 servings

4 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large shallot, finely diced

3 small garlic cloves, minced

3 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 ½ – 2  lb. mushrooms such as shitake, cremini, portabella, oyster and white button, cleaned, stems removed and sliced 1/8 inch thick

4 -6 c. low sodium chicken stock

4 fresh sage leaves, 3 whole, 2 chopped

1 tbsp thyme, chopped

1 ½ tsp chives, chopped

1 c. heavy cream

1/3 c. dry vermouth or white wine

2 tbsp cornstarch

2 tbsp cold water

2 tbsp truffle oil

salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium (3-5 quart) saucepan heat butter and olive oil, add shallots and sauté until opaque, add vinegar and let shallots caramelize for 1 minute and add garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
2. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and sauté for 8-10 minutes, then add chopped sage and thyme.
3. Add vermouth, cook for 1 minute and add chicken stock, cover pot reduce heat to medium and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. (can be made one day ahead)
4. Lower temperature to a simmer and with an immersion blender, blend soup mixture in pulses to completely chop up mushrooms (this will also thicken the soup). (note – if you are using regular blender instead be EXTRA careful! Only add a couple of cups of soup mixture to blender at a time because the high heat of the mixture will form steam and make the blender “explode” with hot soup).
5. Once blended well, add heavy cream and two whole sage leaves, stir to combine well and bring back up to temperature slowly
6. Meanwhile, combine cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl and stir to make a slurry. Add to soup and stir to combine completely add salt and pepper to taste, cook for 5-7 minutes on low and serve immediately.

To serve garnish each soup with chopped chives and add 1 tsp of truffle oil to each serving.

Mushroom and Goat Cheese Phyllo Cups

Yield 6 servings

1 box Phyllo dough

1 Muffin pan

2 lbs mushrooms such as shitake, cremini, portabella, white button, brushed, stems removed chopped to a medium to small dice.

4 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

2 medium garlic cloves minced

2 ½ tbsp Marscapone cheese (chilled)

2 ½ tbsp Goat cheese (chilled)

1 ½  tbsp fresh thyme, chopped or whole leaves

1 ½ tbsp parsley chopped

Filo:

Preheat oven to 420 degrees.

1. Thaw Phyllo dough for 45 minutes to an hour, roll out slowly making sure not to break the sheets. Phyllo can dry quickly so cover remaining sheets with a damp towel while cutting strips.

2. Line sheets on a flat surface and taking 5 sheets (stuck) together cut 4 inch wide strips.

3. Depending on the size of your muffin pan, cut strips 4 inches in length, making sheets 4 x 4.

4. Melt 1-2 tbsp butter, lightly brush the insides of muffin pan and place Phyllo sheets in each pan hole gently pressing down and turning you hand counterclockwise at the same time, to shape sheets into each mold.

5. Lightly brush the inside of each Phyllo cup (the butter helps bind the sheets together). Place in the oven on the third rack and bake to a light golden brown for 3-4 minutes, watch carefully as Phyllo tends to burn very quickly. Set aside and cool.

Mushroom Filling:

1. In a medium sauté pan melt 2 tbsp butter and 3 tbsp of olive oil, add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook on medium heat for 3-5 minutes, add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
2. Turn off the heat and allow to cool for 1 minute, add the marscapone and goat cheese, mix until filling becomes creamy.
3. Spoon filling into each Phyllo cup, sprinkle with parsley and thyme and serve.

Pomegranate Shitake Mushrooms

Yield 4 servings

2 lbs Shitake mushrooms, brushed, stems taken off and chopped into 1/3 inch.

2 stalks leek, washed, green stems removed, cut lengthwise and chopped thin.

1 ½ tbsp butter

4 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp brown sugar

2 tsp white wine vinegar

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

2 tbsp Pomegranate molasses

2 tbsp Pomegranate seeds

salt to taste

1. In a medium sauté pan melt ½ tsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil, add leeks and sauté on medium heat until opaque, add vinegar and cook for 1-2 minutes.
2. Lower heat, add the brown sugar and mix well allowing leeks to caramelize, remove from heat and transfer leeks to a bowl.
3. In the same sauté pan, melt 1 tbsp butter, 3 tbsp of olive oil and sauté mushrooms al dente about 2-4 minutes add salt and cayenne pepper and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add leeks and pomegranate  molasses to the mushrooms and stir well. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and serve.

My mother gave me two choices for Thanksgiving this year, go to Uncle Andre and Aunt Suzy’s house or invite my cousins over who recently moved here from Iran. The lazy part of me was thinking that this year I just don’t feel like cooking, so another year at the Andresian’s would be great, Aunt Suzy’s Thanksgiving dinners are the best. Then it hit me that it would be really cool to cook for my cousins, they just moved here from Iran and they’re probably experiencing some culture shock, so a traditional American holiday is much needed to help smoothen their transition. For the next couple of weeks I scavenged through all my magazines, Saveur, Bon Appetite and Gourmet, searching for the perfect recipes to play with.

Thanksgiving is probably my favorite American holiday, by that time of year the streets are laden with colorful fall leaves and that crisp, winter air that even us Angelino’s can feel, is quietly approaching. This time of year has that special feel to it, I often can’t stop staring at the colors on the trees while I’m driving, I always say to myself that I’ll grab my camera and come back to take a photo as I make a mental note of what streets I’m on. Sometimes the reminder of fall comes when I smell my neighbors fireplaces burning when I get home late at night, or the cornucopia of colors that take over the farmers market.

My family moved to the States from Iran in 1979.  We celebrated Christmas and Easter like most Armenians but Thanksgiving was my first, real taste of an American holiday. As we arrived in Los Angeles, we began our life long journey of having to assimilate into another new culture. When living the Diasporan life it’s a natural reflex to make sure you blend in without losing your identity. For my parents this was in the form of working, buying a house and reconnecting with relatives and friends from back home. My idea of being in America was eating Mc Donald’s, lots of donuts and pizza, and of course going to Disneyland and all the theme parks a little girl can conquer. Things were so much easier back then, it was the late 70s, we were refugees in a country full of promise and I didn’t have a care in the world.

Those first couple of years we had very little family here. I had no first cousins or grandparents yet, just extended relatives and a large circle of friends. Those friends include Andre and Suzy Andresian, who have become our Thanksgiving family for the past 30 years. My father and Andre grew up together in Esfahan, Andre’s wife, Suzy’s, Irish roots and delicious recipes couldn’t have been a better introduction to us of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

The smell of her Sauerkraut would pinch your nose as soon as you walked into their incredibly gorgeous house. The house is as close to an Italian villa as one can get in Los Angeles. The long hallways would trap the smells from the kitchen that would warm up the cold marble floors. Her turkey always had that perfect moisture on the inside and that crunch from the skin on the outside, she served it with sauerkraut, mash potatoes, a velvety gravy, cranberry sauce and her delicious beans. After dinner we would do the same thing every year. While we waited for dessert the kids would go the TV room and watch the Yogi Bear Christmas Special. Their house was so ginormous to me when I was younger, I would always get lost somehow. Although, I admit sometimes I would get lost on purpose so I could snoop around those huge rooms.

The house is quite magnificent. Recently restored, it’s a villa nestled in the woods of the Rose Bowl. So how can one resist an invitation to eat Thanksgiving dinner in a dining room fit for a museum?  In the past my contribution to her table was a Sweet Potato Pie whose recipe I had discovered a few years back.

So while the beautiful casa and incredible Irish cooking was tempting, this year I wanted to take the opportunity to reconnect with my cousins and use Aunt Suzy’s good cooking as inspiration. I’m not into Turkey whatsoever, it’s such a boring bird, but I couldn’t avoid cooking it, so I added a duck to the menu to show the Turkey what a real bird tastes like. For side dishes I made Provence herbed baby potatoes, almond and garlic sautéed green beans, apple corn bread stuffing, cranberry orange chutney and a delicious vegetarian Shepherds pie whose recipe I found in Gourmet.

Two pies made it to my table this year, I love pies because I’m so drawn to the interconnectedness of circular things. Pies are generous, they hold a lot inside of them like burritos, but I haven’t baked too many in my life. This was my first year cooking a savory pie since culinary school, but this Vegetarian Shepherds Pie recipe was really mouthwatering so I had to indulge.

The second pie was the Sweet Potato Pie whose Marshmallow Meringue and graham cracker crust make it so yummy. This was my third year in a row baking this pie and I’ve tweaked the original recipe. I added ginger snap cookies as well as candied ginger to the crust and vanilla and cardamom to the filling. It has made a pretty good difference to the taste, the ginger gives it a spice while the cardamom adds floral qualities and vanilla makes it nice and vanilla-ee.

The Thanksgiving festivities turned out wonderful. My Shepherds pie was a little more watery than I wanted but overall everything was on point and delicious, especially the duck. During dinner, I raised my glass to make the first toast to my cousins, I went on about how since this was their first Thanksgiving with us in America, I was very pleased to have given them there first taste of Thanksgiving. My cousin Roubina then looked at me, raised her glass, and said in Armenian, “That’s very sweet of you Lucie, but this is our second year in America and our second Thanksgiving.”

The smile on my face turned into an open mouth at which point I looked at my mother with that “how could you not have told me this” look.” For two weeks she had heard me yapping about how nice its gonna be to share this experience with our newcomers. I was a little embarrassed for being so out of touch and naturally they all laughed at me, but it’s okay, what matters is that their arrival has added a few more pieces to our family’s American puzzle.

Sweet Potato Pie with Marshmallow Meringue

Yield: 10 servings

Crust:

3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (made from about 7 1/2 ounces graham crackers, finely ground in processor)

1/4 cup Ginger Snap cookies (finely ground in processor)

2 – 3 pieces candied ginger (ground in processor)

6 to 7 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

3 pounds medium red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams)

1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

2 large eggs

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp Nutmeg, Cardamom

1 tsp of vanilla bean or vanilla bean paste (extract as substitute)

1/4 tsp salt

Marshmallow Meringue:

1 7-ounce jar Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme

3 large egg whites

1/8 teaspoon salt

¼ cup of sugar

preparation

For crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix ground graham cracker/ginger cookie crumbs and in a medium bowl. Add 6 tablespoons melted butter and stir until crumbs feel moist when pressed together with fingertips, adding 1-2 tablespoon melted butter if crumb mixture is dry. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish, building up sides 1/4 inch above rim of dish. Bake crust until set and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Cool on rack.

For filling: Preheat oven to 350°F. Pierce sweet potatoes all over with fork; place potatoes on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until potatoes are very tender when pierced with fork, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool slightly. Cut potatoes open and scoop out pulp. Transfer pulp to processor and puree until smooth. Set aside 2 cups sweet potato puree for filling; cool completely (reserve any remaining puree for another use).

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine 2 cups sweet potato puree, sweetened condensed milk, and all remaining ingredients in food processor and blended until smooth. Pour filling into crust. Bake pie until puffed around edges and set in center, about 50 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool. Refrigerate pie at least 4 hours or overnight.

For marshmallow meringue: Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Using rubber spatula, scrape marshmallow creme into large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt in another large bowl until foamy. Add sugar, a little at a time, and beat until stiff and glossy peaks form, this can take a few minutes, make sure egg whites are stiff. Add 1/2 cup beaten egg whites to marshmallow creme and stir with rubber spatula or spoon just until incorporated to lighten (marshmallow creme is very sticky and will be difficult to blend at first, but blending will become easier as remaining whites are folded in). Fold in remaining whites in 2 additions just until incorporated. Spread meringue over top of cold pie, mounding slightly in center and swirling with knife to create peaks.

Bake pie just until peaks and ridges of marshmallow meringue are lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Let stand at room temperature until meringue is cool.