Cheese Fondue with Prosecco!

Stuck on what to make your guests for New Years Eve? Red Bee’s got the answer! We’re buzzing about a decadent cheese and Prosecco fondue drizzled with honey. Cheese and Honey are a natural pairing, and when you add the bubbly fizz of Prosecco, it becomes the perfect festive New Years eve dish. What could bee more decadent and festive and with the surprise of honey your celebration will be spectacular.

Here at Red Bee we’ve put an Italian twist on it, using Fontina Val D'Aosta and Taleggio cheeses. Our alfalfa honey is fantastic drizzled over this fondue or on your dipping accompaniments; its grassy, mild flavor will play nicely with the light flavor of the Prosecco.

Cheese Fondue with Prosecco Recipe

Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients:
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/4 cups Prosecco or Champagne
1 large shallot, chopped
2 cups coarsely grated Gruyère cheese (about 7 ounces)
1 1/3 cups coarsely grated Fontina Val d’Aosta cheese (about 5 ounces)
1/2 cup diced Taleggio cheese (about 3 ounces)
nutmeg, pinch
white pepper, pinch
Linden or alfalfa honey to drizzle
Crusty baguette

Method:

Stir cornstarch and lemon juice in small bowl until cornstarch dissolves; set aside. Combine Prosecco and shallot in fondue pot or heavy medium saucepan; simmer over medium heat 2 minutes. Remove pot from heat. Add all cheeses and stir to combine. Stir in cornstarch mixture. Return fondue pot to medium heat and stir until cheeses are melted and smooth and fondue thickens and boils, about 12 minutes. Season fondue with nutmeg and white pepper. Place over candle or canned heat burner to keep warm. Serve with crusty bread, shrimp and Prosecco.


Red Bee Events:

JANUARY 4 
• New Canaan Nature Center Green Book Club 
+ Tuesday, January 16, 2010 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm 
Spend an evening with beekeeper Marina Marchese 
and New Canaan Green Book Club readers to discuss her book 
HONEYBEE Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper


JANUARY 9 
• Red Bee Skin Care Workshop 
+ Saturday, January 9, 2010 at 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm 
Rossape Sustainable Skin Care Workshop, Weston, CT 
Spend a fun Saturday at beekeeper Marina's Red Bee Cottage in Weston, CT and learn the basics on how to make your own skin care 
using ingredients from your kitchen. 
Reserve your place early-limited space!


JANUARY 16 
• Honey Tasting Workshop 
+ Sunday, January 16, 2010 at 1:00 till 3:00p 
Join us for a Tasting Flight of Seven Artisanal honeys 
paired with farm style cheeses and accompaniments with Red Bee's own Marina Marchese 
Event held at "The Cottage" at Red Bee Studio, Weston, CT.


For more information about Red Bee and our events, please visit www.redbee.com.
Happy New Year and hope to see you all in 2011!

Red Bee declares 2011 as the year of Honey!

Honey has been gaining popularity as people are looking for a more natural and sustainable way to sweeten their foods. Honey has been around for thousands of years and was used by the ancient Greeks and Romans as a favorite ingredient. Notably, honey was reserved only for royals and was used by commoners to pay their taxes. With an illustrious history like this, how can we not love this food that never spoils and never needs refrigeration.

Red Bee Honey has resolved that 2011 is the year of honey. Here are a few tips to include honey as part of your own New Year resolution.

· Throw out that plastic squeeze honey bear from your grocer – get yourself some luscious, pure honey.

· Try something new – there are hundreds of varietials of U.S. harvested honeys each from a different nectar source. Buckwheat, Blueberry, Alfalfa, Apple & Pumpkin Blossom are just a few of our current favorites.

· Taste honey like they do in Tuscany. Pour some into your finest wine glass. Admire the color aroma and, of course, the taste. La vita è troppo breve per non mangiare bene! (Life is too short not to eat well.)

· Pair honey with cheeses to experience something totally new. For example, blueberry pairs nicely with a triple crème brie or a buckwheat enhances a strong cheese like stilton. There is no right or wrong- it’s your personal preference!

· Invite your friends over for a honey tasting party. No cooking involved, just serve a few different varietals of honey, artisan cheeses, crackers or breads and serve with your favorite beverages-try champagne and wine. The possibilities are endless. Any of these ideas will guarantee you a sweet New Year.


For more recipes and information about Honey and Red Bee Products visit us at www.redbee.com.

Bee Merry...Bee Bright!

Hello Friends, Honey Lovers and Fellow Beekeepers!



The most popular question this time of year is: What do bees do in the winter? Lots of people have all sorts of different ideas about what they might do: “Do you bring the bees inside? Do you put a little heater in the hive?” The idea of bees cuddling around a tiny space heater is adorable, but that would not be the truth. Actually, they cluster in the warmest part of the hive-closest to the sun-with their queen in the center. As the bees cluster around her, they shiver constantly to keep her, and themselves warm. On less chilly days, the bees will crawl over to the honeycombs where they have stored their winter honey and take a bit to feed themselves and the queen. In this way, they keep warm during the winter months and make their honey last through winter and survive into the spring.



Keep your antennae out for a special New Years Eve recipe pairing cheese, champagne, and of course, honey!



Merry, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

From all of us at Red Bee Apiary.

YAHOOOO Second Act: Marina Marchese

I wanted to share with you...a YAHOO video called

Second Act: Real stories celebrating life, passion and reinvention-enjoy!

Me? The Red Queen.......

Last summer I had the great pleasure to sit down with James Beard Award–winning food writer Rowan Jacobsen here at Red Bee Apiary for a tasting flight of more than 25 honeys. For those of you who are not familiar with Rowan, he is a food writer and author of five books including Fruitless Fall: The Collapse of the Honey Bee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis which addresses the disappearing honeybee syndrome. In his new book American Terroir: Savoring the Flavors of our Woods, Waters, and Fields, Rowan explains the French concept of Terroir or "Taste of Place" for the best of local foods found here in America.



Fresh off the plane from my recent trip to the Honey Festival in Montalcino, I found the advanced reading copy in my heaping pile of mail. With memories of Tuscan honey still fresh on my tongue, I dived into Rowan's new book to find a hilarious recount of his visit with me and our honey tasting experience together which begins on page 90. Rowan refers to me as "The Red Queen" and takes the reader along the ride for an intimate look into my private vault of honeys, nectar source by nectar source. In detail we discuss each of the honeys by their aromas, colors and flavor profiles, just as it was fine wine. Our two day honey binge practically left him in a honey-induced coma. It is a rare event for me to stumble upon someone who will actually entertain my passion for single-origin honeys and Rowan lived to tell the story. If you are a locavore and foodie, American Terroir will satisfy your hunger!

Red Bee Honey Tasting Events



SEPTEMBER 28, 2010

Le Pain Quotidien Speaker Series

Mineral Springs location, Central Park, NYC at 6:30 pm

OCTOBER 16, 2010

First Annual Connecticut Cheese & Wine Festival

Hopkins Vineyard

25 Hopkins Rd in New Preston, CT

Red Bee Honey signature Tasting Table

Saturday October 16, 2010 from 11 am to 5 pm

NOVEMBER 9

Honey and Cheese school

+ Tuesday, November 9, 2010 at 7-9 pm

Fairfield Cheese Shop

2090 Post Road Fairfield, CT 203.292.8194

info@fairfieldcheese.com

Honeys and artisanal cheeses with complementary wines from Harry's Wine and Liquor.

NOVEMBER 10

Heavenly Honey and Artisanal Cheeses

+ Wednesday, November 10, 2010 at 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Artisanal Premium Cheese Center, Manhattan, NY

483 Tenth Avenue, New York, NY 10018

Join beekeeper and author of Honeybee: Lessons from an

Accidental Beekeeper, Marina Marchese, owner of Red Bee

Honey and Fromagere Erin Hedley for an enlightening

evening of discovery with delectable pairings of

artisanal honeys and artisanal cheeses with complementary wines.

NOVEMBER 15

How Sweet it is: Honey & Cheese

+ Monday, November 15, 2010 at 6:30 am - 8:00 pm

Murray's Cheese

254 Bleecker St.(between 6th & 7th Ave.)

New York, NY 10014 RSVP:212.243.3289

We'll be pairing Red Bee single varietal American

honeys with the finest farmhouse cheeses.

HONEYBEE book signing to follow

Me? The Red Queen.......

Last summer I had the great pleasure to sit down with James Beard Award–winning food writer Rowan Jacobsen here at Red Bee Apiary for a tasting flight of more than 25 honeys. For those of you who are not familiar with Rowan, he is a food writer and author of five books including Fruitless Fall: The Collapse of the Honey Bee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis which addresses the disappearing honeybee syndrome. In his new book American Terroir: Savoring the Flavors of our Woods, Waters, and Fields, Rowan explains the French concept of Terroir or "Taste of Place" for the best of local foods found here in America.



Fresh off the plane from my recent trip to the Honey Festival in Montalcino, I found the advanced reading copy in my heaping pile of mail. With memories of Tuscan honey still fresh on my tongue, I dived into Rowan's new book to find a hilarious recount of his visit with me and our honey tasting experience together which begins on page 90. Rowan refers to me as "The Red Queen" and takes the reader along the ride for an intimate look into my private vault of honeys, nectar source by nectar source. In detail we discuss each of the honeys by their aromas, colors and flavor profiles, just as it was fine wine. Our two day honey binge practically left him in a honey-induced coma. It is a rare event for me to stumble upon someone who will actually entertain my passion for single-origin honeys and Rowan lived to tell the story. If you are a locavore and foodie, American Terroir will satisfy your hunger!

Red Bee Honey Tasting Events



SEPTEMBER 28, 2010

Le Pain Quotidien Speaker Series

Mineral Springs location, Central Park, NYC at 6:30 pm

OCTOBER 16, 2010

First Annual Connecticut Cheese & Wine Festival

Hopkins Vineyard

25 Hopkins Rd in New Preston, CT

Red Bee Honey signature Tasting Table

Saturday October 16, 2010 from 11 am to 5 pm

NOVEMBER 9

Honey and Cheese school

+ Tuesday, November 9, 2010 at 7-9 pm

Fairfield Cheese Shop

2090 Post Road Fairfield, CT 203.292.8194

info@fairfieldcheese.com

Honeys and artisanal cheeses with complementary wines from Harry's Wine and Liquor.

NOVEMBER 10

Heavenly Honey and Artisanal Cheeses

+ Wednesday, November 10, 2010 at 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Artisanal Premium Cheese Center, Manhattan, NY

483 Tenth Avenue, New York, NY 10018

Join beekeeper and author of Honeybee: Lessons from an

Accidental Beekeeper, Marina Marchese, owner of Red Bee

Honey and Fromagere Erin Hedley for an enlightening

evening of discovery with delectable pairings of

artisanal honeys and artisanal cheeses with complementary wines.

NOVEMBER 15

How Sweet it is: Honey & Cheese

+ Monday, November 15, 2010 at 6:30 am - 8:00 pm

Murray's Cheese

254 Bleecker St.(between 6th & 7th Ave.)

New York, NY 10014 RSVP:212.243.3289

We'll be pairing Red Bee single varietal American

honeys with the finest farmhouse cheeses.

HONEYBEE book signing to follow

Honey Cake Recipe

Need a Honey Cake recipe for next weeks Jewish New Year festivities? This traditional recipe will insure your New Year will be a Sweet one! Wednesday 9/1 is the last day to order your bottle of Red Bee Buckwheat honey for delivery before the holiday! Visit our honey pages at www.redbee.com

Majestic and Moist Honey Cake
Adapted from Marcy Goldman’s Treasure of Jewish Holiday Baking

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup Red Bee Buckwheat honey
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup warm coffee or strong tea
1/2 cup fresh orange juice 1/4 cup rye or whiskey
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds (optional)

Method:
Fits in three loaf pans, two 9-inch square or round cake pans, one 9 or 10 inch tube or bundt cake pan, or one 9 by 13 inch sheet cake. I made mine in two full-size loaf pans plus two miniature ones.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease pan(s) with non-stick cooking spray. For tube or angel food pans, line the bottom with lightly greased parchment paper, cut to fit.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Make a well in the center, and add oil, honey, white sugar, brown sugars, eggs, vanilla, coffee or tea, orange juice and rye or whiskey, if using. (If you measure your oil before the honey, it will be easier to get all of the honey out.)

Using a strong wire whisk or in an electric mixer on slow speed, stir together well to make a thick, well-blended batter, making sure that no ingredients are stuck to the bottom.

Spoon batter into prepared pan(s). Sprinkle top of cake(s) evenly with almonds, if using. Place cake pan(s) on two baking sheets, stacked together (this will ensure the cakes bake properly with the bottom baking faster than the cake interior and top).

Bake until cake tests done, that is, it springs back when you gently touch the cake center. For angel and tube cake pans, this will take 60 to 75 minutes, loaf cakes, about 45 to 55 minutes. For sheet style cakes, baking time is 40 to 45 minutes.

Let cake stand fifteen minutes before removing from pan. Drizzle a bit more honey over each slice as you serve! Enjoy!!!