Cows Milk Cheese with Pickled Apples and Warm Local Honey

Chef Jason Tostrup

The Inn at Weathersfield, www.weathersfieldinn.com, Perkinsville, VT

Ingredients:

• 5 oz. semi-soft cows milk cheese
• 1 jar pickled apples (see recipe below)
• 3 Tbsp honey
• 1 loaf of crusty bread
• Ingredients for the Pickled Apples:
• 4 firm apples, quartered and sliced
• 1 ½ cup cider vinegar
• ¼ cup cider jelly (see "Farm Sources" for a weblink)
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• ½ cup water
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 2 star anise
• 1 whole vanilla bean
• 1 bay leaf

Method:

Slice the bread and toast in oven until lightly browned. Heat the honey until warm to the touch (you can do this quickly in the microwave or on the stovetop in a water bath). Slice the cheese into ½ inch thick pieces. If from a jar, remove the apples from their pickling juice. Place the cheese, bread and apples on a plate. Drizzle with warm honey and serve.

Place all items, except the apples, in a medium saucepot. Bring to a boil, turn off heat and cover. Allow mixture to steep for 30 minutes. Add the sliced apples to the vinegar liquid. Place in a glass jar and refrigerate (can be made a day in advance).