I was recently sent a the most wonderful product to try. Nude Bee honey. I love it for all kinds of reasons. First and foremost, it is delicious honey. But beyond that, Nude Bee honey embodies all the things I love my food to be – natural, raw, healthy and local. Nude Bee Honey is a small company, based in Toronto’s Kensington Market. They work with local independent beekeepers to distribute their honey. Their offerings change regularly, based on what is fresh and available. All of their honey is unfiltered and unpasturized. Just pure, beautiful, delicious honey.
If you’re still looking for gift ideas, I think a nice honey is a great gift for just about anyone. Beyond a great product, a portion of the proceeds of their sales goes to the Save Our Bees Campaign. Nude Bee Honey is available in Roots stores across Canada or you can order from their website. If you live in downtown Toronto, they’ll even deliver your honey for free, on a bike!
I had originally thought I’d use my honey in bread or baking, but once I tasted a spoonful, I really thought it needed to be enjoyed in a dish where it could really shine. So I paired it with warm goat cheese, on toasted baguette slices and topped it with walnuts and rosemary. The honey is lightly warmed and drizzled on the toasts just before eating.
This is a quick and easy appetizer for the holiday season. You can prepare the baguette slices and goat cheese and refrigerate ahead, then just pop in the oven when you’re ready, sprinkle with toppings and serve. I think these would be nice with pecans or hazelnuts, as well.
Warm Goat Cheese Toasts with Walnuts, Rosemary and Honey
Summary: This is a quick and easy appetizer. If you want to make ahead, you can slice and top the slices with goat cheese, then arrange on baking sheet and refrigerate until needed. You can toast and chop the nuts and chop the rosemary ahead, as well. Then just pop in the oven and top with nuts and rosemary before serving with a bit of warm honey. I find the honey disappears if it is put on ahead, so I like to allow guests to put it on themselves.
Ingredients
- 1 baguette
- 8 oz. goat cheese
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts, pecan or hazelnuts (*you can chop or leave larger, or a bit of both)
- 1/2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Toast the walnuts: Lay walnuts on a baking sheet. Roast in 350° F. oven, until they start to brown and you can smell the toasted nut scent, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.
- Cut eighteen 1/4-inch diagonal slices from baguette. Spread goat cheese on top of each slice. Arrange the pieces in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until edges of the bread are slightly golden and the cheese has softened, about 10-15 minutes.
- While these are baking, chop the nuts and the rosemary and place honey in a small saucepan over low heat to warm (*You could also put into a glass container and microwave to warm).
- When toasts are done, sprinkle with chopped walnuts (or place one larger piece) and then sprinkle with rosemary. Heat honey in small saucepan over medium heat until warm, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle toasts with walnuts, then rosemary. Place warmed honey in a small jar or bowl and serve with your toasts for guests to drizzle honey over before they eat.
Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 12 min | Total time: 25 min
Number of servings (yield): 8
Adapted from a Bon Appétit November 2003 recipe | Disclosure: Nude Bee Honey sent me two jars of their honey to try – Wild and Buckwheat. Their Wild honey is featured here. I was under no obligation to write about their product, but it was excellent, so I’m happy to share this quality local and natural product here.
This sounds delicious Jennifer! What a great little appetizer to serve over the holidays! Have a great week :)
Thanks Liz. They were delicious. (I ate all of these right after I took the pictures ;) You have a great week, too.
You pretty much took my three favorite things: nuts, goat cheese, and honey (four if you include bread) and made this delightful little treat.
Same Yelle. And all together in one bite they were addicting little treats.
These definitely make a beautiful and lovely holiday appetizer.
Thanks so much, Angie.
Gorgeous! This sounds so tasty!… and simple. I might have to try this for my Christmas dinner party this weekend!…. :)
Thanks Sophie. I don’t think you can ever go wrong with warm goat cheese. Have a great weekend and party!
These look so delicious…. I am dreaming of the flavour combinations as I feast my eyes on the lovely photos :)
Thanks so much, Kelly.
Wow those look easy and delicious! I love the combination of the rosemary and the honey…it sounds so interesting. I’ll definitely be bringing this to a holiday gathering this year!
The combination of flavours was so nice. Hope you get a chance to try them.