With the dark, cold days right now, it's a nice time of year to have something special for dessert. I love custard, and crème caramel is one of the simplest custards to make. It also keeps well and is plated in single servings so you can enjoy it for a couple of days. Honey enhances the flavor of the cream and eggs in this recipe.
Manuka honey, which comes from Australia and New Zealand, is a popular product among people who eat honey to be healthy but Björn's propolis honey is a better understood, local alternative. Propolis is known for its remarkable ability to fight microbes and when blended with our local wildflower and clover honey, it becomes a tasty and healthy immune booster.
When we eat local honey, we expose our bodies to trace amounts of local pollens. The idea is that our bodies then become accustomed to these pollens and don't release histamines. Without histamines, there are no symptoms of seasonal allergies.
Propolis is an age-old remedy made by the bees to keep germs out of their hive. It is known for its remarkable abilities to assist in the fight against viruses, bacteria, microbes, and fungus. Recent studies suggest it may also help with seasonal allergies.
There is nothing like hot, tender, fried chicken, it's a southern classic and a perfect savory item to pair with honey. In this recipe, we use a raw whipped honey hot sauce to complement the crispy chicken.
Panna cotta means “cooked cream” in Italian and making it is about that easy. Cream and sugar are cooked and then mixed with unflavored gelatin, then sour cream and cold milk. It does have to set for around 4 hours but otherwise, it is a super easy dessert for a cozy winter dinner at home as a Valentine’s Day treat. Tastes like a grown-up orange creamsicle!
Baklava is often associated with Greek cuisine but it's a dish that dates back to the Ottoman empire. It is eaten throughout the Mediterranean and middle east and is very popular in Turkey. Turks and Greeks both claim the dish as their own, but it likely belongs to both cultures. Made with layers of thin dough and ground nuts, most often pistachios or walnuts, and sugar syrup or honey, it’s a great way to highlight the taste of our local honey.
It goes without saying that this is the time of year to cozy up with loved ones and a warm drink. I like warm honey mulled cider. This recipe calls for classic mulling spices, which I blend myself so I can tweak the amount of each spice to my mood and potency of the spices, I have on hand. It also calls for honey to lightly sweeten and add that warm flavor which goes great with apple.
Canelés de Bordeaux are the new cool pastry that you might have seen around town. These small cakes are so much more than just a cake. They are crispy on the outside and soft and gooey on the inside with a flavor like creme brulee and crème anglaise. And the best part is they use beeswax to glaze the molds! It’s such a fun way to use beeswax in a recipe.
The idea with this lemonade is to soak the rose petals in the lemon juice, infusing it with a mild rose taste and pleasant rose aroma. This juice then creates a wonderful base for lemonade, which just needs a sweetener like honey or cane sugar syrup and water and or to finish it.
Rhubarb is a classic spring flavor and makes a great pie filling. In this recipe I used raspberries instead of strawberries for something a bit different. I also used some honey to sweeten the filling.
Björn’s Homemade Honey Chai Masala Tea is a comforting tea inspired by India's flavors. It's also a great way to use up the honey at the bottom of the jar.
