I have good honey; inspire me with good ideas!

[joshlane4]

I got a bottle of Savannah Bee Company Tupelo Honey. I don't typically use honey in the kitchen, and I'm not a big tea drinker.

Tell me how you use good honey in the kitchen (other than tea) so I get some ideas!

[kentheden]

Sorry, but really GOOD honey only comes from bees that have been hived near hearther and then it is eaten complete with the comb. On home made grainy bread it is out of this world.

[Hapgood]

I have made these a few times with a fabulous mango sage honey I received as a Christmas present. With so few ingredients, the good honey puts this drink over the top. Better than most mojitos and you don't have to mess with simple syrup!

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/...

Recipe: Caipitetra cocktail
Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times
POPPING UP: As Brazilian restaurants in the U.S. have become popular in recent years, the caipirinha, a refreshingly simple combination of muddled limes, sugar and cachaça -- a Brazilian rum -- has been appearing on cocktail menus.
May 21, 2008

Caipitetra
Total time: 8 minutes

Servings: 1

Note: Adapted from Ciudad. Use organic oranges and wash the rind well before slicing.

1/2 small orange plus 1 wedge for garnish

1 ounce fresh orange juice

6 fresh mint leaves, each leaf torn in thirds, plus 1 sprig for garnish

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 lime

2 ounces cachaça (I use a good medium Trader Joes rum

)

1. Cut the orange half into four wedges and remove the seeds. Place the orange wedges, juice, torn mint leaves and honey into a wide-bottomed rocks glass.

2. Using a muddler or the back of a spoon, muddle firmly five or six times, until the mint is bruised and the orange wedges have released some of their juice. Add ice to fill the glass. Squeeze the lime over the top, add the cachaça, and stir well to combine. Garnish with the orange wedge and mint sprig.

[HillJ]

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/09/maj...

Okay, under the category of "too good not to share!" this honey cake is amazing! Used up the last of my Savannah Bee honey...but frankly if you have a super yummy honey in your pantry get it out and make this cake! Thanks, Smittenkitchen!

[hornvixen]

Honey also nicely complements parmigiano - wedge the cheese into smaller pieces first, and arrange them on a plate (black is fun). Drizzle.

[Kate is always hungry]

I agree with TMSO and Choctastic--I would definitely make baklava and use the honey in the syrup. It is the best way to showcase the taste of the honey. YUM!

[pondrat]

Slice a fresh fig in half lengthwise
Top each half with a thin slice of prosciutto
Then top with a thin slice of manchego cheese
Swizzle with honey

[scuzzo]

Oh yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about!

[Megiac]

Dates or dried figs stuffed with good gorgonzola and drizzled with honey.

[julesrules]

A great dressing for arugula is honey, lemon juice and olive oil.

[dzdigits]

There have been some great replies and this isn't really a recipe - just an off the wall but yummy, easy dessert. It may sound a bit odd but I love to get a good vanilla bean ice cream and top with honey and sunflower seeds. I like it even better with a sweet cream ice cream! YUM! Either way, to me it just enhances the natural flavors of the honey becuase the saltyness and creaminess of other ingredients plays off the natural honey flavors. :) So many other good suggestions here, though, I'm sure you'll use that honey up fast!

[purple goddess]

2nd.. or 3rd.. or whatever we're up to as a drizzle over fig and blue cheese tart (I also add caramelized onions to mine)

And my preferred method of mainlining good honey...

Honey (with or without Chai) cheesecake!

[withalonge]

2nd or 3rd, honey w/ blue cheese... mmm so good.

but I must admit my favorite way to eat honey is on a slice of toasted wheat bread with peanut butter... the more wheat-ey, granular the better..

[jinet12]

My idea, is that if you have really good honey, you don't cook with it, you use it to dip! Dip your homemade fried chicken tenders in it, pour it on your homemade biscuits....If you must use it in a recipe, consider it in a honey mustard sauce, made with honey, a good quality mayo, and dijon mustard....

[soupkitten]

heat it & put it on your waffles with fresh berries. whip it into butter and use it on everything baked. drizzle it & evoo on fresh garden never-fridged halved mixed cherry tomatoes, with sea salt & a little fresh cracked pepper, toss a little. no, you need the biggest spoon you own to eat it. maybe a ladle.

for my final trick: make a honey-based caramel sauce. yeah, you heard me.

[scuzzo]

This should highlight your great honey! Flake chunks of good parmesan cheese and top with toasted walnuts and drizzle with honey. A classic Italian dessert.

[HillJ]

oh my goodness scuzzo, I adore that classic dessert.
must have some now!

[Vetter]

Or pour it over gorgonzola, oh my!

[Potomac Bob]

Substitute honey for molasses in making gingerbread..

[bastet212]

I think it was last months food and wine that had a section about cooking with honey. They focused on bringing out the flavors of specific honeys. I made a moroccan honey chicken with apricots and olives. Omg it was fantastic- id take a look.

[HillJ]

http://www.foodandwine.com/monthly/?s...

Honey from A to B was a great read. Aug 08 issue/recipes. Enjoy!

[msmarabini]

Wow, can't believe no one has mentioned yet, honey mustard! Honey mixed with good dijon mustard (or whatever mustard you prefer). I use it on salads & sandwiches.

Also, another good cheese for drizzling honey over is sliced Pecorino Romano. Toast some ciabatta bread, warm some sliced pecorino romano & drizzle with honey - makes yummy bruschetta!

Also here in spain, my friends from mallorca serve little tapas of sliced baguette bread spread with sobresada (spreadable spanish sausage) and drizzled with honey. Sounded strange, but tasted great.

[vvvindaloo]

Definitely keep it simple and let the honey be the star. Here's what I discovered after I bought a fantastic jar of honey last year:
honey on lightly-buttered warm toast
honey with thick yogurt
honey with ricotta
honey with gorgonzola or maytag blue (also nice with crusty bread or cracker)
honey with premium vanilla ice cream (I like Haagen Dazs)
honey-dipped salt pretzels

[Veggo]

vvvv, You've reminded me of a wine-tasting dinner in Taos a few years ago; the dessert was baked figs with blue cheese and Questa (NM) honey, with a nice sauterne. A heavenly finish to a nice meal.

[janetofreno]

Damn. I've eaten plenty tonight, really. But you had to post about honey-dipped salt pretzels, and now I have to go try it. Damn.

[goodhealthgourmet]

the honey-dipped pretzels got me thinking...vanilla bean ice cream drizzled with honey & topped with crushed pretzels.

[lynnlato]

I love honey drizzled over good bleu cheese... on water crackers. What a perfect pairing. Highly addictive.

[TonyO]

a little bit on homemade fried chicken is great also..........

[TonyO]

slice a baguette and top with your favorite creamy cheese (bleu is a great choice), a slice of proscuitto, and drizzle with honey.

[HillJ]

Savannah Bee Company Tupelo Honey is the best and the folks who run it outstanding people. My family enjoys this honey in place of maple syrup ie waffles, pancakes, french toast but my dh & I love to use the honey in bananas foster, in low fat yogurt, in smoothies, on chicken or duck, in salad dressing, over warm pound cake, spread on toasted Challah...so many ways to enjoy the SBCTH!

[goodhealthgourmet]

mmm, good honey on good challah [preferably the original recipe from Orwasher's Bakery in NYC]. man i miss bread!

another thought because i now have apricots on the brain from my earlier post...honey-glazed apricots [or figs] served with good cheese and toasted nuts.

[karykat]

Our dessert cookbook of the month a couple months ago (Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich) had a whole chapter on honey and other sugars. She had a cookie called honey snaps, honey ice cream, honey panna cotta and honey caramels. A few ideas if you can get your hands on it.

[always_eating]

Instead of jam, I cook up some fruit (alone or any combination) like strawberries, raspberries, peaches, cherries with a little water until soft, let it cool slightly and then stir in honey and some lemon zest. I keep it in the fridge and put it on toast in the mornings. Yum! I also love honey butter! Or what about making a basting sauce/marinade with honey, soy sauce, lime and garlic and putting it on chicken (I prefer legs or thighs) and roast in the oven?

[choctastic]

If I have really good honey I don't bother cooking with it, unless it's something that highlights the honey like baklava or honey soaked cake.

Mostly I would spread it on light toast or eat it with thick yogurt and figs. Just like I'm doing right now! haha. Enjoy.

[itryalot]

Use as a (marinade) basting for fruit to grill. I use halved peaches, nectarines and apricots. Throw them in a bowl. Do a loose mixture of honey, lemon juice, EVOO. Toss, you don't need it to really marinate, just coat. Grill and baste with "marinade". Serve over yogurt or vanilla bean ice cream, or eat plain.

[tmso]

I'm with the yoghurt and ricotta suggestions. Also, you could make baklawa or baghrir, arab pastries where good quality honey is important.

[ipsedixit]

Get large mug.

Pour hot water into mug.

Add honey.

Add freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Swirl.

Drink.

[bastet212]

My mom used to make this for me when i had a sore throat. YUM.

[clepro]

All great ideas so far.

One of my favorite things to do is to pour some over a block of good feta or chèvre, sprinkle with cracked black pepper, let come to barely room temp and serve with crackers. The whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts.

Make honey walnuts--basically just honey, water, sugar, heated, maybe some spices or peppers, or vanilla, and walnuts stirred in until coated. Recipes all over the web.

Honey is always good with a bit of melted butter on carrots.
Or on warm biscuits. Or rye toast. Or on top of buckwheat and bannana pancakes.
Or drizzle a little on squash stuffed pastas (although personally I prefer a chestnut honey for that).

Or bake a spiced, honey soaked cake. If you do a search for recipes using "honey cake passover," you'll come up with a bunch.

Of if you have access to sour cherries, you can make cherry bomb. Pit a bunch of ripe sour cherries, put them in a crock and add much vodka. Cover and let infuse for a few months, until the vodka's been infused with cherry flavor and all your cherries look like they've been bleached. Decant into bottles and then (here comes the honey part) sweeten lightly with the best honey you can find. I like to decant mine into empty French limonade bottles and give them as gifts. Personally, I think the bomb tastes a little too much like cherry cough syrup, but I have friends who look forward to this every year, and return the empty bottles to me in hopes of getting them refilled.

[Delucacheesemonger]

Sometime, try this recipe with unpitted sour cherries and good vinegar, even cider vinegar. Roy Andries de Groot used this recipe 40 years ago from the Auvergne, and l have been using for 20. Serve the cherries as an hor d'oeurve, l use the left over vinegar as the liquid added to cornstarch instead of kirsch to fondue

[joshlane4]

oohh, see - I'm already excited!

[goodhealthgourmet]

it's *so* good drizzled on greek yogurt or fresh ricotta.

Melissa Clark had a recipe in the most recent NY Times dining section for a honey-apricot parfait with greek yogurt, walnuts & cinnamon that sounded fantastic...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/din...

[Jen76]

Oh, that reminded me of a fruit salad that I loved that had honey-yogurt drizzled over it. It was divine.

[janetofreno]

My breakfast all summer long has been fresh fruit (usually nectarines....), served sliced over good plain organic yogurt and mixed with almonds and a drizzle of honey......

[Jen76]

I eat it straight up on biscuits. Yum.

Could also use it in oatmeal.

[weezycom]

One of my favorite things is a sauce for vanilla ice cream. Melt ~2 Tablespoons butter over medium heat and saute seedless green or red grapes and fresh chopped rosemary until warmed through, add about 1/4 cup honey and juice of half a lemon and finish off with some good brandy or cognac and serve warm over ice cream.

[Veggo]

Make a batch of honey butter - equal parts of each - saucepan to Tupperware in seconds. Great on English muffins, croissants, rye toast. Miel (honey) is one of few sweets I like.