With a jar of honey in the kitchen cupboard Christmas feasts can be enhanced in so many ways and a sprinkling of a herb or two will give a further zest to any holiday recipe. From meat to pastries, honey will add the Christmas cheer to any dish and is the addition to the herb cupboard that is as much a healthy option, as it is an accompanying treat for Christmas cookery. Honey baked cookies and cakes will always taste as warm as if they are straight from the oven, and mix with a touch of cinnamon for extra festive spice.
Sweet Meat
For meats roasting in the oven, honey adds a shiny glaze but also crisps off to give a harder coating and sweetens the meat throughout with an extra tang and taste. To prevent burning, add the honey glaze during the cooking time and if a softer coating is required cover it whilst cooking. For a stronger flavor enhancement, use a darker variety of honey. If pure the honey will sometimes have a taste of its own herb, thyme and rosemary are common ones, but adding a twist of these herbs or any others such as garlic or lavender, to a salad dressing will zing it up for a special occasion. Mix as the Mediterranean nations do, with a little oil or balsamic vinegar to produce a more subtle sweetness.
Herby Helping Hands
Mixing herbs with honey is a simple affair as it goes with most of them and is a perfect match to so many things in the kitchen cupboards, one well tried taste is mustard, and this can be added to lemon and dill for a delicious salad dressing or pour over sauce. This is now a favored addition to any salmon dish but can be just as easily added to pasta or rice dishes.
Using garlic with honey in any recipe is an unusual sounding combination yet it is widely accepted and tastes delicious as a marinade and cheers up chicken dishes or even the left-over turkey for Boxing Day. In marinades, honey helps to tenderize the meat as well as flavor it and will provide a more sticky texture as it is a natural binding product so can enhance cakes and pastries for this reason.
A Little Tip for a Sweet Kick
To avoid any acidic taste add a teaspoon of baking powder and always remember that honey naturally moistens a recipe so always take a little care in the amount of water being used in a recipe and use less rather than more.
A vast majority of shop bought honey has additives and is sugar based, this will always create a sweeter more syrupy taste but also may harden slightly so when using in any recipe, cut down any extra sugar to avoid over sweetening. (In general use three quarters of a cup of honey to one cup of sugar). Biscuits and cakes can be flavored with honey to give a lovely golden coloring as well as moist taste and it is perfect for those Christmas biscuits, flapjacks or even mixed with ginger for festive iced shapes and creations, for all those who enjoy the sweeter things in life.
This post has been written by Martina Mercer. Martina writes for Lavenderworld.co.uk who provide a range of products from herb plants to beauty gifts.
