Grilled Cheese with Jasper Hill Whitney, Runamok Knotweed Honey, and Fried Sage
We are very proud to be based in a state that values high quality food. We routinely top the lists for “best-of” beer, our maple products are renowned, and we produce more excellent fruits and vegetables for a northern state than you might expect. But we are exceptionally proud of the cheese that is churned out in this pastured heaven.
This year Vermont won over 40 awards from the American Cheese Society, across multiple categories, including best in show. Made from goat, cow, and sheep’s milk, we crushed it at the competition and so to celebrate our ag cousins we decided to pair our honey’s with award-winning Vermont cheeses. We could easily have come up with 40 ideas for all of the winners but thought we would winnow it down to 4 (see the complete list here). If you do not have access to Vermont cheeses (look online) we offer some nationally available substitutes.
Jasper Hill’s Whitney won top honors (Best in Show) at the awards so how could we not include it? This cheese is meant to be melted like raclette so a grilled cheese with honey was just the ticket. You can use our rich, malty Knotweed honey with it to counter the nutty flavor of the cheese or you can use one of our hot honeys for some kick. The fried sage is easy to make in the same pan and adds a nice, earthy flavor.
Ingredients:
- Sliced Bread
- Jasper Hill’s Whitney (or substitute with gruyere or raclette)
- several leaves of fresh sage
- Runamok raw honey – Knotweed, Beekeeper’s Cut, or other
- butter
Slice or grate enough of the cheese to cover one side of a piece of bread. Melt the butter in a small, non-stick pan. Put a few of the sage leaves in and brown for 20 seconds on each side. Remove and put on top of the cheese on the bread. Put the other slice of bread on top and put in the pan on medium heat. Cover the pan so the cheese gets nice and melty before the bread burns. Check after a few minutes and flip. Let it cook until all of the cheese is melted. Serve on a plate with honey on the side for drizzling and dipping.
