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Pepe Saya's Butter Balls with Whispers of Vanilla in Honey

8/5/2012

 

Pepe Saya's Butter Balls 
with Whispers of Vanilla in Honey

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For those (few) of you who don't already know him, I would like to introduce Pierre Issa, a.k.a. Pepe Saya. Pierre is the 36 year old father of two, married to his teenage sweetheart Mrs. Pepe; and, of course, maker of the amazing Pepe Saya cultured butter and lover of all things made from butter. 

Pepe hates the use of preservatives in food and says he does not appreciate technology when it comes to food, but understands we need to feed millions. If only we could do it some other way, he says. Pepe's love for food stems from his parents, who both love food! He says he is surrounded by loving people at work and home, and believes that life is a journey that should be enjoyed and shared with others. In this delicious Good Things guest post, Pepe shares a sublime recipe created from an idea born on Twitter. 'It's a recipe with awesome provenance involving three producers, Lizzy', Pepe wrote me, excitedly. Pepe's recipe combines award winning butter rolled into balls, dipped in award winning vanilla, then preserved in award winning honey. Awesome! Over to you, Pepe...

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Pierra Issa aka Pepe Saya, maker of Pepe Saya Butter
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Pepe Saya award winning cultured butter
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Pepe Saya's sublime Butter Balls with Whispers of Vanilla in Honey

Pepe says...

'When you receive a tweet that reads "@Honey_Delight @Sayaetsusman fancy butter hey? Ever made honey butter or doesn't that work?" followed by a tweet that reads "@DairyGoodness @sayaetsusman I said hello :)", you know you have to take notice! 

I haven't met Carmen @Honey_Delight, but I did enjoy reading her guest post featuring Honey ANZAC Biscuits on Lizzy's pages recently, so I know of her and I know that Honey Delight honey won champion category at the Sydney Show! So, naturally, my Twitter response was "@Honey_Delight @DairyGoodness @1910bc @SRKitchen Hello, Hello - Honey butter - could give it a try!" and things were left at that, with the promise that Carmen would soon send me some of her honey.

Later that day, I met Jennifer Boggiss, proud owner of Heilala Vanilla and had a lesson all about Vanilla. AWESOME STUFF! As I sat drinking coffee and listening to Jennifer talk passionately about vanilla bean, I thought "imagine vanilla with butter dipped in honey... Carmen's Honey Delight". And all these questions started popping into my head. Should I make this with salted or unsalted butter? Refrigerated or not? Vanilla on the butter or in the honey? How to package this honey butter? And then it struck me. Labne balls (Yoghurt balls in olive oil) or (Fetta in oil)... why not roll some butter balls in Heilala Vanilla and preserve them in honey, Carmen's honey.

I did not sleep that night, thinking of Vanilla beans, Honey and Butter! I could barely wait to get into the kitchen. First thing in the morning I phoned my friend, Ester (@DairyGoodness): "Hello, Ester, I need some of Carmen's Honey, do you have any?", I asked. "I only have one jar that Carmen gave to me", Ester replied. "Well I need it, please darling!" Later that day, Ester arrived with the honey and I got started on my creation immediately. Here is my recipe for Butter Balls with Whispers of Vanilla in Honey.

PEPE SAYA'S BUTTER BALLS WITH WHISPERS OF VANILLA IN HONEY
2 x 200gm Pepe Saya salted cultured butter 
500ml Stringy Bark from Honey Delight*
One pod of Heilala Vanilla*

Use salted butter, this gives a great contrast of flavour with the sweetness of the butter. Hand roll 10gm butter balls. Cut and scrape the Heilala Vanilla bean onto baking paper. Roll the butter ball in the vanilla to coat the outside.

Place the butter balls onto a tray and cool them in the refrigerator to 4 degrees C. Meanwhile, sterilise the jar/s. Then fill the jar with the vanilla butter balls. Pour the honey into the jar and then cool the honey to 4 degrees C, this so it will not melt the butter. This quantity makes 40 balls, each jar should fit 14-16 balls depending on jar size.

* I use Heilala Vanilla and Honey Delight honey because of the provenance of the products. I know where they come from and I know of their quality.

To serve, after making your porridge, place one 10gm honey vanilla butter ball on top of your hot porridge and let it melt, or mix it through. Another delicious way to serve is to place a honey vanilla butter ball onto a hot crumpet, fresh bread or toast. Delicious! The flavour is quite amazing, even if I do say so.

In conclusion to this experiment, I do appreciate that some of you reading this may think that it would be easier to simply mix the butter and honey together! I don't recommend this, as the honey will weep, you see. 

I do hope you have enjoyed reading this guest post and I hope you will try my recipe. Thank you to Lizzy for giving me the opportunity to share my love of good things with you.'

- Pepe


The process in pictures...

The finished product...

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Pepe Saya's Butter Balls with Whispers of Vanilla in Honey

A note on Heilala Vanilla

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Jennifer Boggiss and Latu family members at the Heilala Vanilla Plantation in Tonga
Heilala Vanilla (pronounced: Hey-la-la) is the partnership of two Pacific families united by a passion for the world’s most sensual and exotic flavour and aroma. Behind this most intoxicating vanilla lies quite a story. What started as a gift of land from a Tongan chief, turned into an aid project and now a flourishing business. The New Zealand family was lured by the unspoiled beauty of the Vava’u Islands in the Kingdom of Tonga and the beautiful people. This was combined with horticultural and research facilities in Tauranga New Zealand. Heilala Vanilla produce and market a range of 100% Pure Vanilla Products; Beans, Extract, Paste, Sugar and Syrup throughout New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and USA. For more information, visit www.heilalavanilla.com


A note on Honey Delight

Read about Carmen, a third generation beekeeper, at her Good Things guest post here and try her Honey ANZAC biscuit recipe.
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Honey Delight Honey
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Lizzy says...

Thanks so much Pepe for taking the time to develop the recipe and share your passion with us. And thanks also to Jennifer from Heilala Vanilla and Carmen Pearce from Honey Delight. Three fine food producers (award winning ones at that!) = Salt of the Earth!

Have you tried Pepe Saya Butter, Heilala Vanilla or Honey Delight honey?

Carmen link
7/5/2012 10:26:26 pm

I am amazed and excited to be part of this culinary creativity! An absolutely awesome story! Who would have thought a tweet would lead to this. Well done Pepe - you are a genius !

Lizzy
7/5/2012 10:40:16 pm

Salt of the Earth!

Pierre Issa link
7/5/2012 10:34:01 pm

Thank you Liz, I hope your readers enjoy this Blog.

Lizzy
7/5/2012 10:41:08 pm

Pierre, thank YOU. I know how busy you are, so genuinely appreciate your guest post. Incidentally, I should like to visit you and watch you work next time I'm in Sydney... and catch up for a twEAT up too!

Anna @ The Littlest Anchovy link
8/5/2012 01:48:58 am

Fantastic post! Three things I love, together at last. I can't wait to try this myself.

Lizzy
8/5/2012 08:28:11 am

Thanks Anna! Let me know how they turn out!

Eileen link
8/5/2012 05:25:43 am

Wow, this butter does sounds amazing! I haven't had the opportunity to try, as I live in the US, and it clearly wouldn't be too practical to export butter. But I should definitely give the butter-honey-vanilla combination a try with my local dairy's butter. :)

Lizzy
8/5/2012 08:28:54 am

Hello Eileen... do give it a try with a good quality cultured butter in your region. Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great day.

celia link
8/5/2012 08:38:44 am

Beautiful post, Lizzy! It's always wonderful to see passionate people working with food!

Lizzy
8/5/2012 08:41:22 am

Thanks so much Celia. Pepe will be chuffed by your very kind words. And he is indeed passionate about his food, as this post indicates. Thanks for stopping by xo

Jane @ Shady Baker link
8/5/2012 03:03:58 pm

So much buttery, vanilla and honey goodness in this post Lizzy! Just as Celia said, it is inspiring to see passionate people working with amazing food!

Lizzy
8/5/2012 08:01:32 pm

Indeed Jane, it's just beautiful, isn't it! I find food producers, growers, farmers are just the salt of the earth. Truly!

Amanda link
8/5/2012 05:13:03 pm

Oh, my! I really, really want these right now. On a soft, fluffy scone with a nice crisp top. Now, please.

Lizzy
8/5/2012 08:02:02 pm

Madame, your wish is my command. Scones in the oven, come over! Thanks for visiting, my friend xox

InTolerant Chef link
8/5/2012 06:52:19 pm

Oh My Goodness!! I shall most certainly be making these! I have a little stash of tiny jars that would hold just one butter ball perfectly and go perfectly on a breakfast-in-be tray.
Lovely, lovely, lovely :)

Lizzy
8/5/2012 08:02:40 pm

Oh how awesome, Rebecca! Enjoy. Thanks for popping in. Sent you an email!

Barbara link
9/5/2012 10:53:37 am

What a wonderful idea. I like the idea of it on crumpets.

Lizzy
9/5/2012 11:07:26 pm

Barbara, hi! Me too... just a little indulgence.

Jasmin @Opining, Whining & Dining link
9/5/2012 03:52:24 pm

Oh wow. I absolutely adore Pepe Saya butter, and this just looks heavenly. I want to make this, but I know I can't be trusted to leave them and not just eat them from the jar.

Lizzy
9/5/2012 11:07:46 pm

LOL, I know what you mean, but just a little perhaps!

Laura (Tutti Dolci) link
11/5/2012 04:22:46 pm

Vanilla, butter & honey?! Oh my, my three favorite things :).

Lizzy
11/5/2012 09:27:04 pm

Yummy!

JJ @ 84thand3rd link
11/5/2012 07:18:41 pm

Butter, honey and vanilla. I want it on toast NOW! The idea of letting it melt over porridge sounds delicious too. Thanks Lizzie and Pepe for sharing!

Lizzy
11/5/2012 09:27:36 pm

Our pleasure, JJ. Three delicious award winning ingredients = special!

Yasmeen @ Wandering Spice link
11/5/2012 11:18:33 pm

My goodness. Nirvana, at last!

I would absolutely love to try this.

The Food Sage link
11/5/2012 11:32:10 pm

What a wicked threesome! Great post Lizzy/Pierre.

A Canadian Foodie link
2/6/2012 03:44:53 am

Reading this post has absolutely changed my focus for my own website, Lizzy... I think we have known for quite sometime that we both share the same beliefs about food. Are you a Slow Food member? I am so curious to know. If you are going to Terra Madre this October, I would LOVE to meet you! Highlighting producers that do it right - are good stewards of the land and pay their workers properly for the hard work they do is what it is all about. I LOVE this recipe idea. I have two questions, though. 1. how can the seeds of one vanilla bean possibly cover 40 balls of butter, as Pepe says. Even his photos appear to use so many more. It is hard to tell. 2. what is "Stringy Bark"? He doesn't call for honey, but for this in the recipe. I don't use readers or feeds and I now see that you have a subscribe by e-mail choice - so I hope to never miss a post again! :) Valerie XOXOXOXO

Lizzy
2/6/2012 11:33:57 am

Hello there my friend! We do indeed share common interests. I am about to join the Slow Food movement here in Canberra.

In response to your question, Pierre advises just one Vanilla bean - you take all the vanilla seeds out of the pod and place on baking paper, as you are rolling the butter balls - you smear a little vanilla onto the palm of your hand and keep rolling - you do not want alot of vanilla on the balls just a hint for flavour, as these are very strong.

Sorry, yes, Stringy Bark honey.

Please do sub my email, I am still learning all the tricks with food writing on the internet. Lovely to see you again! Have a happy day. xoxox


Comments are closed.

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    Üdvözölöm
    Photo of Liz Posmyk, Food Writer, Cook and Traveller

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Good Things is written and published by Liz Posmyk © 2011-2020.   All rights reserved.
Excerpts may be used provided that full and clear credit is given. Thank you.


Photos used under Creative Commons from alantankenghoe, riptheskull, David Jackmanson, Amani Hasan, SuntanMidori, oropeza, Annie Mole, Vegan Feast Catering, avlxyz, jeffreyw, mockstar, jenly, Syeefa Jay, pizzodisevo (therapy - terapia - Therapie), ginnerobot, cliff1066™, Jim, the Photographer
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