Abuzz at the Fairmont
There are a whole lot more reasons to stay at a luxury hotel these days than just a good night's sleep. A state-of-the-art health club. A hip pet policy. The action in the lounge. And an environmental stewardship program.
At the Fairmont Washington, D.C., its lush interior courtyard is also a kitchen garden providing fresh herbs and flowers for the hotel's restaurant. And up on the roof are some 100,000 Italian honey bees!
The hotel's restaurant chefs plan on harvesting 300 pounds of honey this year, to be used in cocktails, soups, pastries, ice cream, and the unusual "honey" caviar recipe here.
Honey Caviar
Ingredients:
2000 grams frozen grape seed oil
200 grams honey
50 grams sugar syrup
125 grams water
10 grams agar agar
100 grams sugar
Directions:
1. Bring honey, sugar syrup, water, agar agar and sugar to a boil.
2. Remove grape seed oil from freezer.
3. When honey mix is still warm and smooth, pour into a small sauce bottle with small tip. Pipe quickly into oil until entire bottle is used.
4. Strain caviar from oil. (Reserve oil and re-freeze for next use.) Rinse under cold water.
5. Store tightly wrapped in fridge. Use as a garnish for vanilla ice cream or lemon sorbet.
--Tracy Schneider
Mark on August 27, 2009 at 08:04 AM
Wow! I didn't know that about the Fairmont and I used to live right next door. Great idea!
Brian Robertson on August 27, 2009 at 06:23 PM
That is incredible that the Fairmont has put that kind of environmental stewardship plan into action.