Conscious Choice: A Taste of Honey, Nature's Perfect Sweetener

October 1999 | Cooking with the Seasons

A Taste of Honey, Nature's Perfect Sweetener

by Colette Christian

Humans have gone out of their way to collect honey for ten thousand years. This sweet treat is as popular today as it was centuries ago. Honey was an important ingredient in both the cuisine and culture of ancient Greece and Rome. For the Greeks, honey had a talismanic significance. The status of honey in ancient times was due to its mysterious origins. The bee’s progress was difficult to follow and understand back then, it was assumed that honey was a little bit of heaven that had fallen to the earth.

This bit of heaven, as we all know, comes from very busy bees. They produce it from the nectar they collect from flowers, plants, and bushes. Each apiary is loyal to one type of flower and the bees rarely travel outside their radius. To produce a one pound jar of honey the bees must make two million journeys at least two miles long. Bees routinely produce more honey then they could ever eat. About a hundred pounds of honey is made by each hive; the bees use about a quarter of it; the excess is collected by the bee keeper.

The color, flavor, and scent of a particular honey is determined by the nectar of the flower, the soil, its location and the time of year in which it was collected. The general rule of thumb is the darker the honey the more intense the flavor. However, honey from single flowers, or monoflora, is thought to have the purest flavor. Most often honey is blended from varieties of more than one flower.

Most honey is gently heated to enable easier filtering of dirt or wax. The temperatures are kept low so that it retains its many nutrients. Generally speaking, honey is not treated with pesticides, but the plants it comes from may be; organic honey is taken from land that has not been treated with pesticides for three years.

Honey has no fat, protein, or cholesterol. It provides quick energy and it is easy to digest. Honey has an enzyme system which produces hydrogen peroxide, a bactericidal agent that helps fight off infection. This is the same enzyme system that enables honey to keep without refrigeration.

Eating lots of local honey is thought to help ward off seasonal allergies. (I’m a great believer in this theory because it makes sense. Maybe the plethora of allergies that plague so many people these days stem from how far our society has drifted from eating locally grown products.)

Honey is best stored in a tightly closed jar in a cool, dry spot. When honey is refrigerated it crystallizes and thickens, becoming difficult to spread.

Honey improves the keeping quality of baked goods, because it retains moisture. It is easy to substitute honey for sugar in recipes; just take into account that honey is slightly sweeter by volume; reduce the measurement called for of sugar by 10 percent. Also take into consideration honey’s moisture content. The liquid called for in a recipe needs to be reduced by one-fourth. For most cooking, it is best to use clear light golden honey; the stronger the honey the more pervasive its flavor will be.

If you are craving a taste of honey, try these sweet treats.

Pears poached in Red Wine with Honey and Cinnamon
An easy and elegant autumn dessert
6 firm ripe pears (Bartletts poach well) peeled and cored
2 cups full bodied red wine
1/2 cup mild flavored honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Place pears in a medium saucepan and cover with the wine, honey, cinnamon and vanilla.

2. Heat the wine to a simmer, reduce heat, and cook for about twenty-five minutes or until pears are tender when poked with a paring knife or skewer.

3. Remove the pears from the heat and cool to room temperature. Store the pears in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Homemade Honey Mustard Dressing
Adapted from Moosewood Cooks for a Crowd (John Wiley & Sons, 1997)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of fresh ground pepper

1. Whisk together honey and mustard in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in canola oil. Mixture should emulsify and thicken as you add the oil.

2. Season with salt and pepper.

Easy (yes, it is!) Baklava
2 pounds filo dough
1 pound butter, melted
1-1/2 lbs walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch cloves

1. Combine walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and cloves.

2. Brush a baking tray, either 15 by 10 or 12 by 17 with melted butter. Place fifteen filo leaves on the bottom of pan, brushing each with melted butter. Spread one-third of walnut mixture over buttered leaves. Add five to six more leaves, then another third of the walnut mixture. Repeat with five to six layers of buttered leaves and the last of the walnut mixture. Top with fifteen to sixteen more buttered leaves. Brush top layer with remaining butter. Score top sheet with a diamond pattern.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to one hour until golden brown. Let cool. Pour warm syrup (see recipe below) evenly over Baklava.

Syrup
2 cups sugar
1 cup honey
2 cups water
Rind of either a lemon or an orange
1. Bring to a boil and simmer for ten minutes. Strain and cool slightly.

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