Tag Archives: Sweeteners

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Special Holiday Offer On “Cooking With Honey”

Looking for the perfect gift for your honey-loving friends and family? Give them an autographed copy of Cooking with Honey! 

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From now until December 31, Cooking with Honey will be available from Romancing the Bee for the discounted price of $10.00, shipping included. Cash or checks only.

Order soon, supplies are limited!!

Cooking with Honey contains over 90 delicious honey recipes, many of which have never been posted on the blog. Just look at the recipes!

COCKTAILS AND PARTY DRINKS

Honey Mint Julep
Honeymoon Cocktail
Honey Bee Cocktail
Ginger Honey Liqueur
Pomegranate Smash
Pink Margarita
The Bee-tini
El Dorado Cocktail
Alchemist Punch


HORS D’OEUVRES

Pimiento Cheese
Benedictine
Honey Barbecued Oysters
Honey Garlic Chicken Wings
Honey Baked Brie
Honey Whiskey Dogs
Smoked Salmon and Caper Pizza
Stuffed Mushrooms
Bruschetta with Ricotta, Honey, and Lemon Zest

SALADS 

Combination Salad
Caprese Salad with Honey Balsamic Reduction
Honey Vinaigrette Salmon Salad
Honey Apple Cider Vinegar
Spicy Penne Pasta Salad with Honey, Artichokes, and Tomatoes
Honey Caesar Salad
Tea Room Honey Frozen Fruit Salad
Honey Garlic Vinaigrette
Honey Netherland Salad

ENTRÉES

Linguine alla Cecca
Honey Barbecue Pulled Pork
Beef Tenderloin with Honey Bain Sauce
Beef Tenderloin
Honey Bain Sauce
Honey Barbecue Baby Back Ribs
Honey Mustard Glazed Corned Beef Brisket
Honey Roasted Turkey
Honey Raspberry Balsamic Glazed Salmon
Honey Glazed Ham
Honey Rosemary Roast Leg of Lamb
Honey Ginger Pork Tenderloin
Spicy Honey Barbecued Chicken
Awesome Turkey Burgers

SIDE DISHES

Honey Glazed Baby Carrots
Best Southern Green Beans
Honey Garlic Cheese Grits and Spinach Soufflé
Honey Szechuan Green Beans
Honey Corn Soufflé
Honey Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Honey Szechuan Noodles
Honey Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Honey Zucchini Fritters
Southern Squash Casserole with Honey

BREADS, ROLLS, AND MUFFINS    

Honey Blueberry Muffins
Honey Lemon Poppy-Seed Muffins
Jeff’s Honey Cinnamon Rolls
Honey Butter Rolls
Spinach Bread
Roasted Garlic, Honey, and Kalamata Olive Bread
Garlic Cheese Bread

CUPCAKES 

Honey Cupcakes with Honey Buttercream Frosting
Honey Magnolia Red Velvet Cupcakes
Honey Espresso Black Velvet Cupcakes
Honey Bittersweet Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cupcakes
Honey Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Bittersweet Chocolate Frosting
Honey Buttercream Frosting
Honey Cherry Cupcakes with Honey Cherry Frosting
Honey Chai Cupcakes with Honey Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

PIES AND CAKES

Kentucky Honey Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie
A Pie Named Steve
Mini Strawberry Honey Pies
Kentucky Honey Jam Cake with Caramel Icing
Honey Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Icing
Honey Chocolate Whiskey Bundt Cake
Honey Cheesecake Squares

COOKIES AND CANDY

L.J.’s Honey Peanut Butter Pinwheels
Honey Spice Chocolate Truffles
Honey Shortbread with Vanilla Glaze
Honey Macaroons
Honey Chocolate Chip Cookies
Honey Chocolate Fudge
Honey Bourbon Truffles
Honey Divinity

DESSERTS   

Honey Chocolate Mousse
Honey Lavender Gelato
Honey Crème Brûlée
Honey Pots de Crème
Honey Watermelon Sorbet
Honey Soufflés with Crème Anglaise
Tiramisu
Honey Ice Cream
Honey Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce

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Cooking With Honey – Homemade Honey Sriracha

Fresh Sriracha (aka, home made 'Rooster')

Given that I keep stingy insects like honey bees, it’s not surprising that hot and spicy foods are my favorites!

In my humble opinion,  the taste of  a mouth-burningly hot dish, tempered with the uniquely flavorful sweetness of honey, is one of  life’s greatest pleasures!

My bees must feel the same way because my friends swear that my honey tastes a bit spicy.  I think that’s part of its charm!!

Anyway, here’s my recipe for homemade honey Sriracha.  You may never use store-bought again!!

Yield:   1 1/2 cups
Ingredients:
 
1/2 pound red fresno chiles, coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves
1teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup distilled white vinegar
2  tablespoons honey
Directions:

Place all the ingredients except the honey in a jar and let sit overnight to mellow the heat of the peppers.

Place the mixture and honey in small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Transfer to a blender and puree for about 5 minutes, until a smooth, orange-red mixture forms. Run through a strainer, extracting as much juice as possible.

Once refrigerated, the sauce should have the same consistency and texture as store-bought Sriracha, but less salty and fresher tasting!

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Health Benefits Of Honey!

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One of the many great things about Farmers’ Markets is that you can find unprocessed honey, also known as raw honey, for sale. Most of the honey sold in grocery stores has been pasteurized and sometimes even blended with cane sugar or corn syrup. However, raw honey is naturally antiseptic and does not need pasteurization.

People have been using raw honey for its health benefits for millennia. Raw honey contains pollen, enzymes, antioxidants and many other beneficial compounds that researchers are just beginning to discover. These compounds largely disappear during processing. The general rule is the darker the raw honey, the more nutritious it is.

Allergy Relief

Recent research supports the theory that local honey– obtained as close as possible to where you live–may help build an immunity to seasonal allergies. Honey made by bees in the vicinity of an allergenic plant will contain tiny amounts of pollen from that plant. This honey will act as a sort of vaccine if taken in small amounts–a few teaspoons per day–for several months, and can provide relief from seasonal pollen-related allergies.

Antioxidants

Raw honey contains powerful cancer-fighting antioxidants, while pasteurized honey does not.

Digestive Aid

Raw honey contains many enzymes that can help some people digest food more easily so it may also help treat ulcers and diarrhea.

Vitamins and Minerals

The nutrient content of raw honey varies (darker honey is more nutritious), but a 1-ounce serving contains very small amounts of folate as well as vitamins B2, C, B6, B5 and B3. Minerals including calcium, copper, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, potassium, selenium, sodium and zinc are also found in raw honey.

Wound and Skin Care

Honey has anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and antiseptic properties. It is used by the medical profession to treat wounds, burns, and various other skin conditions including acne.

Cough Suppressant

Honey is also useful in treating upper respiratory infections. Studies have shown that a small dose of raw honey was more effective than an over-the-counter cough treatment. Be sure not to give any honey, either raw or treated, to a child under the age of 12 months.

Blood sugar regulation:

Even though honey contains simple sugars, some researchers believe it does not affect the body in the same way as white sugar or artificial sweeteners. Honey’s exact combination of fructose and glucose may actually help the body regulate blood sugar levels.

In addition to its health benefits, it is a scientific fact that cooking with honey makes food taste better. Honey contains gluconic acid, a completely safe and natural flavor enhancer. According to the National Honey Board, honey “balances and enhances the flavor profiles of other ingredients used in a recipe.”

A little honey makes everything better!

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Cooking With Honey – “Crack” Dip

crack dip

My next door neighbor introduced me to this recipe. It’s so good it’s addictive!

In this dip honey is used as a flavor enhancer rather than a sweetener. It’s a scientific fact that the gluconic acid in honey makes every recipe taste better!

Yield:  about 3 cups of dip

Ingredients:

1 cup finely diced Vidalia onion

1 cup Hellman’s mayonnaise

1 cup Mexican blend cheese

1 4 ounce can diced chiles, drained but not rinsed

Honey for drizzling on top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the first four ingredients together and place into a casserole dish. Drizzle honey on top. Bake for 20-30 minutes until cheese is melted and top is golden brown. Serve with chips, vegetables or slices of French bread.

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Proud Of My Honey

Well, my honey extraction is completed!  Now it’s time for me to clean up the stickiness!!

One of my readers asked about my extracting set-up. A picture is worth a thousand words.

The big silver thing is the centrifugal extractor.  The honey then goes through two mesh strainers and comes out into the bottling tub.  From there, I pour it into bottles straight from the dish washer.

Some people extract their honey in a garage or a basement, but that seems too un-hygienic to me.

Even though honey comes from outside and all, I like to keep things squeaky clean after it comes indoors. Hey, I’m a Virgo!

Hygiene aside, what I’m most proud of about my honey is that I don’t treat my bees with anything. The honey is completely organic. I don’t think there are very many beekeepers around who can make that claim.

But enough bragging. Here are my bottles, glowing and finished!

The Noble Bayard Nods His Approval

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Get Converted!

Fellow beekeeping bloggers innercityfarmers asked:

In terms of converting sugar to honey when baking, do you have a conversion that you go by? Any tips or tricks you should be aware of when making the switch?

Good question!

Most of my recipes were developed using honey.  But I have converted a few of them.

For baked goods, the following rules of thumb apply:

1. Use equal amounts of honey for sugar up to one cup. Over one cup, replace each cup of sugar with 2/3 to 3/4 cup of honey depending upon the sweetness desired. Honey is sweeter than sugar.

2. Lower the baking temperature 25 degrees and watch your time carefully since products with honey brown faster.

3. In recipes using one cup or more of honey for sugar, it may be necessary to reduce liquids by 1/5 to 1/4 cup per cup of honey.

4. Add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda per cup of honey if baking soda is not already included in the recipe. This will reduce the acidity of the honey, as well as increase the volume of your product.

For other foods, honey is more or less interchangeable with sugar. Unfortunately, there is no hard and fast rule.  Experimentation is the best way to go!!

One thing is for sure though — a little honey makes everything taste better!!

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Honey Divinity

Divinity is an old fashioned Southern candy that was originally made with corn syrup. It’s much better made with honey!

It reminds me of visiting my grandmothers. I guess this is Grandmother Weekend!!

Ingredients:

3 cups granulated sugar (600 g)
1/2 cup honey (120 ml)
2/3 cup warm water (160 ml)
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract (or other flavor of your choice) (5 ml)
1 cup chopped nuts of your choice (I use pecans) (150 g)

 

Preparation:

1. Prepare a cookie sheet by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine the sugar, honey and water in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves. Continue cooking without stirring until the mixture reaches 250 degrees, firm-ball stage.
3. Beat the egg whites in the bowl of a large standing mixture until stiff peaks form. Slowly pour about half of the sugar syrup into the egg whites, beating constantly.
4. Continue to cook the remaining syrup until it reaches 270 degrees, soft-crack stage.
5. Stream the remaining syrup mixture into the egg whites while the mixer is running. Continue to beat until the candy is thick, shiny and holds its shape.
6. Mix in extract and nuts until fully incorporated.
7. Drop by the teaspoonful onto cookie sheet, and let cool until full set.
Variation: Divinity can be poured into a 9-inch square pan, cooled, and cut into small squares instead of being dropped from a spoon.

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