Honey, Be Mine!

Give your customers more natural sweetness with these honey-seasoned dishes.

By Joanna Pruess

While all varieties of honeys have healthful properties and their virtues have been praised since Biblical times, they do not all taste the same. With upwards of 3,000 types of honey, flavors can range from fruity or floral to herbal, spicy or even slightly bitter.

Now might be the time to experiment and expand your honey repertoire. During his time at Fiamma, New York chef Michael White served peaches poached in white wine vinegar and chestnut honey as a complement to his rosemary-scented pork chops. In a recipe here that same honey, with its hint of bitterness, is combined with reduced white balsamic vinegar.

In a crowd-pleasing staple like Buffalo chicken wings re-imagined with Thai flavors, honey both acts as a foil for the spicy flavors and adds an appealing sheen to the surface. It also helps affix the crunchy sesame seeds.

For dessert, pears (or quince, if you can find them) poached in a syrup sweetened with thyme honey and served with blue cheese cream offer a contemporary twist to a classic combination.  

Roast Pork Loin with Chestnut Honey Glazed Peaches

Peaches glazed with sweet and subtly bitter chestnut honey and white balsamic vinegar are a tasty complement to roast pork. Because fresh peaches are unpredictable in availability and consistency, high-quality frozen sliced peaches are a useful, and far more economical, option.

Yield: 24 portions (about 4 to 5 ounces pork + ½ cup (4 ounces) peaches)
Preparation time: 1 hour 15 minutes, including unattended roasting time
Shelf life: 2 days

1 cup sea salt
½ cup fresh rosemary leaves
¼ cup sage leaves
1 ounce garlic
3 tablespoons coarse ground black pepper
Zest of 1 lemon
3 (3-pound) boneless pork loin roasts
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
5½ pounds frozen sliced peaches, slowly defrosted
1½ cups chestnut honey
1 cup white balsamic vinegar
3 sprigs rosemary + small sprigs of rosemary for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine salt, rosemary leaves, sage, garlic, pepper and lemon zest in a food processor and process until fairly finely ground. Liberally season the pork with the rosemary salt and place roasts, fat side up, in a roasting pan or pans large enough so the pork is not crowded. Transfer to oven and roast to an internal temperature of 150 degrees F., about 60 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes, during which the meat's temperature should rise to 160 degrees.   

3. While the pork is cooking, melt butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add peaches and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, shaking the pan often. Stir in honey, and cook about 1 minute, then pour in vinegar; adjust the heat to medium-high, and cook until peaches are tender, about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain liquid into a smaller pan, add rosemary sprigs, and cook until syrup is thick and reduced by about two-thirds. Pour syrup over the peaches, remove rosemary sprigs and serve with sliced pork. Garnish each portion of pork with a small sprig of rosemary.

NUTRITIONAL DATA (per serving): Calories: 430;  Cholesterol: 110 mg; Sodium: 890 mg; Fat: 20 g; Dietary Fiber: 2 g

Click here to view the ingredient cost worksheet for this recipe.

Thai Honey-Sesame Glazed Chicken Wings

Chicken wings are a classic favorite. Moving far away from Buffalo, these succulent, tasty morsels take on the flavors of Thailand. They are sweet, spicy and crunchy, thanks to a sesame seed topping.

Yield: 48 half-wings
Preparation time: 50 to 60 minutes
Shelf life: 3 to 4 days

Nonstick vegetable spray
2 cups honey (any type will work)
¾ cup tamari
¾ cup Thai fish sauce
½ cup fresh lime juice
½ cup + ¼ cup packaged Thai Rub
1 tablespoon dried crushed chili, or more to increase heat
2 ounces garlic
48 halved chicken wings, tips removed
½ cup toasted sesame oil
½ cup sesame seeds, lightly toasted

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line jelly roll pans or shallow sheet pans with aluminum foil. Spray with nonstick vegetable spray.

2. Combine honey, tamari, fish sauce, lime juice, Thai Rub, dried chili and garlic in the jar of an electric blender and purée until smooth. Pour into a large resealable plastic bag, add wings and toss to cover well. Seal or cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.

3. Remove wings from marinade; reserve marinade. Lay wings skin-side down in a single layer in the pans and transfer to the oven to bake for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, pour marinade into a pan and reduce by half over high heat.

4. Turn wings, brush with reduced marinade, and return pans to the oven for 10 minutes. Drain any liquid in the bottom of the pans into the marinade and again reduce by half. Return pan with the wings to oven for 10 minutes more baking time.

5. Reduce heat to 250 degrees F. Whisk sesame oil and remaining ¼ cup of Thai Rub into reduced marinade. Turn the wings in the sauce to coat well, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Return pans to the oven for 15 minutes, or until the glaze has thickened and coats the wings. Remove and let stand for at least 15 minutes.

NUTRITIONAL DATA (per serving): Calories: 230;  Cholesterol: 35 mg; Sodium: 690 mg; Fat: 9 g; Dietary Fiber: <1 g

Sweet, spicy and crunchy from a sesame seed topping.

Click here to view the ingredient cost worksheet for this recipe.

Poached Pears in Moscato-Spiced Thyme Honey Syrup with Blue Cheese Topping

Here is a contemporary version of poached pears (or quinces) with a dollop of blue cheese cream. They are drizzled with reduced Moscato wine syrup scented with thyme honey and spices, with a few fresh thyme leaves as a garnish.

Yield: 24 pear halves
Preparation time: 70 minutes
Shelf life: 1 to 2 days

12 large, firm but almost ripe Anjou or Bosc pears
Juice and zest from 2 lemons
3 cups water
3 cups sugar
2 (750 ml) bottles Moscato or other sweet dessert wine
4 cinnamon sticks
¼ cup thyme honey
1½ tablespoons ground ginger
8 ounces blue cheese, softened
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Fresh thyme leaves, to garnish

1. Peel pears, cut in half lengthwise and remove core. Cut off a small slice from back of each half so they do not rock, and lay them in a single layer in large, heavy pans. Drizzle with lemon juice to prevent discoloration.  

2. In a large saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil, stirring to dissolve. Add wine, cinnamon sticks, lemon zest, honey and ginger, and simmer to melt honey. Pour over pears and simmer over medium-low heat until they are just tender when pierced with a small knife, 10 to 20 minutes, depending on ripeness and variety. Do not overcook. Remove pears from liquid with a slotted spoon and transfer to a serving dish to cool.

3. Bring poaching liquid to a boil and reduce to a thick syrup, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature and strain.

4. While pears cool, mash cheese until smooth. Whisk in heavy cream until smooth and thick and add vanilla. Don’t overbeat. Scrape into a pastry bag fitted with a wide star tip and pipe a swirl onto each pear half. Pour syrup over pears and garnish with a few thyme leaves. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to several hours (removing pears from refrigerator about an hour before serving time). Serve on individual plates or in a fruit compote dish.

NUTRITIONAL DATA (per serving): Calories: 250; Cholesterol: 20 mg; Sodium: 85 mg; Fat: 6 g; Dietary Fiber: 5 g

Click here to view the ingredient cost worksheet for this recipe.

This article was featured in the March 2011 Issue of Specialty Food Magazine.
To see other articles in this issue, click on the following link:
March 2011 Specialty Food Magazine

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