In the Florida Panhandle, this chef loves local honey on the menu
At Union Public House in Pensacola, Florida, chef-owner Blake Rushing has access to all the honey he wants. “We’re in the South; we’ve got stuff blooming year-round,” he says. At Wildfork Blueberries in Brewton, Alabama, one hour to the north, pollinator bees produce honey as a byproduct that the farmer sells specially to Rushing, andmo the honey has its own terroir as the farm cycles through seasons. “The gallberry honey is a lot lighter than the blueberry honey,” Rushing says. “And the wildflower honey will be super fragrant.”
Overall, he adds, “it’s got more depth of flavor,” in terms of using honey as a sweetener in everything from desserts to cornbread with honey butter to gastriques and reductions used in dishes like a 24-hour confit duck leg.
In his pimento cheese “pups,” which have been a smash hit since Union Public House opened in 2016, Rushing uses a cup of honey to lightly sweeten, but the true balancing act comes at the end, with a generous drizzle over the crispy exterior just before serving. “When I’m talking honey, I’m talking a couple tablespoons,” he says. “We serve five pups per order. It balances out the whole thing. You’ve got rich [with] the pimento cheese, salty with the roasted red pepper, the bready part, the crispy part.” The honey at the end adds the necessary sweetness, he says, “to make the dish come together.”
Pimento Cheese Pups 
yields
Yields 3 dozen pups
1 cup yellow cornmeal
4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 small onion, large dice
2 jalapeños, chopped
1 cup local honey, plus more for drizzling
1¼ cups buttermilk
2 jarred roasted red peppers, chopped
1¼ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Oil, tallow, or lard for frying
Chopped chives and pimento cheese for garnish
Special equipment: Deep-fry thermometer
ingredients
steps
- In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.
- In a food processor, pulse onion, jalapeños, and 1 cup honey until liquid is released from vegetables and a chunky paste is formed.
- Fold into dry ingredients along with buttermilk, red peppers, and cheese. Allow batter to sit for 1 hour. (Alternatively, batter will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.)
- Heat oil to 325 degrees in a high-sided cast-iron skillet or dutch oven. Drop tablespoons of batter into oil in batches and fry for 4 to 6 minutes; pups should flip over on their own once half cooked (you can also flip with a spoon).
- Drizzle with 2 tablespoons honey per 5 pups, sprinkle with chives, and serve with pimento cheese.
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Get to Know Pensacola, Florida | Listen
Though often left out of Sunshine State culinary conversations, Pensacola shines bright as a cuisine capital with a strong variety of dining options.
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Emily Havener
Emily Havener enjoys writing about food almost as much as she enjoys eating it. She has been food blogging and developing recipes since 2008, and her particular areas of expertise are finding creative ways to use leftovers and never making a recipe the same way twice. She’s always up for raw fish of any kind and a good gin cocktail or a glass of orange wine.
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