Honey, honey, food for the bees (and me)
October 4, 2011
J. Friend & Co have been kind enough to send me some of their amazing, gorgeous honey to play around with! Thanks guys! My mind is buzzing (heh, sorry) with recipe ideas, and I thought I’d get your suggestions/thoughts on the following:
- Honey, pomegranate & pistachio macarons – UPDATE: Two failed batches of pistachio macarons does not make me a happy bee. Although I know just what to do with them…hint in this article by Laura @ Hungry & Frozen UPDATE II: Success!
- Pistachio, or orange & almond cake with mascarpone & honey
- Jamie Gwen’s pomegranate chicken with honey and almonds (but modified to be a bit simpler)
- Citrus (with three citrus flavours) and honey curd
- Honey, orange & hazelnut florentines dipped in/drizzled with dark chocolate
- Chestnut, chocolate and honey brioche (swirled throughout, or made into a spread)
- Basil (or lemon balm/lemon basil), honey & mascarpone over poached or fresh fruit (whatever’s in season/at the farmers market)
- Oolong tea & honey rice pudding (although since summer is coming up an iced oolong & honey drink could be better)
- Coconut, honey and lime custards or panna cotta
- Honey & sesame creme brulee
- Galaktoboureko (maybe orange/lemon/lime & honey) topped with crushed pistachios and honey lemon syrup
- Rosemary and honey cake or soft rosemary, honey and oat bread
- Added in 5th Oct: Honey, brown butter & hazelnut challah
Sharyn from J. Friend & Co. likes the top two :)
EDIT: Just in case there are some of you out there who are really polite, you are welcome to make the above before me or whatever – would be super interested to know how they go!
Also, in the midst of the all important tasting, I discovered how very different honey can be. Check out the textures of the four, all at the same temperature:
L-R: Pohutukawa, Beechwood, Vipers Bugloss, Kamahi. The two on the left were smoothest, but flavour wise I was blown away by the Vipers Bugloss variety – it was so gorgeously floral! The pohutukawa was probably my favourite all-round honey, fairly subtle in comparison and useful for pretty much anything. The prettiest one I think is the beechwood, which is the glossy drizzling honey with a rich malty flavour.
All of the honeys are certified organic, and the company is CarbonZero if you’re into supporting that sort of thing. Each jar is labelled with the year (vintage), where in NZ it is from, and even which beekeper made it – they are not just arty when it comes to their jars, but are truly an artisan company making premium products. Many of their floral varieties are uniquely New Zealand, so I feel very lucky to be able to taste the Pohutukawa and the Kamahi, for example.
If you’d like some of your own, check out their list of New Zealand and Australian stockists – however they do ship internationally as well. If you’re in Auckland, J. Friend & Co have generously donated some honey as prizes for lucky Out Standing in their Fields cooking show attendees. These shows are free to attend, and you get to taste chef recipes by award winning food writer Julie Biuso (Parnell) & Chef of the Year David Schofield (Grey Lynn). Good luck!
PS. I now have a facebook page, where I’ll be posting recipes that didn’t make it onto the blog, occasional sneak peaks, latest posts and what I’m finding yummy at the moment. This is because the groups page will be archived by facebook soon :(
15 Comments
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Two Spoons 
Oh goody, I’m off to follow you on Facebook!
Wow, those honeys look amazing, especially the Beechwood one!
I love honey, and those jars look really inviting :-).
Ciao
Alessandra
Ooh, an iced oolong and honey drink sounds divine. Though it is rather cold today, I’d probably have it hot! I like the idea of a honey & sesame creme brulee, too. Actually, everything sounds good! Have fun!
Very pretty shots Zo, the first one the jars almost look like designer pots of face cream, gorgeous. Must try the honey put and not on my face :0)
R: Cheers, I think creating a page also gave me a good place to collate all my foodie likes…the newsfeed for the blog page could get very addictive!
T: Yes that is definitely the prettiest in my opinion too!
A: They do indeed, I think they make wonderful presents! Also the size is quite useful for storing wee bits and bobs after the honey is finished.
M: I’ve actually tried these before from a local tea shop, and it’s delicious hot or cold. Just have to find the best honey for the job :D
A: Thanks! These do indeed look very much “designer” don’t they!
Those pots of honey are ridiculously beautiful, I have a wee thing for pretty jars so I’m sold without even tasting the honey! I love the sound of chestnut, chocolate and honey brioche. Yumo!
Delicious looking honey! I love the sound of the chestnut, chocolate and honey brioche too, I bet it’s amazing!
Lucky you! They all look and sound divine!
I’m a fan of 9, 12 (the cake version), and 13. Also, I love your pictures of the honey! (And your photos in general.) So interesting how they are all so different. I agree with you – I think the beechwood is gorgeous.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE honey. I get them in huge 1l jars because I go through them so quickly. I don’t only eat honey, I put honey on my skin (: It’s nature’s miracle to me!
E: Let’s face it, who doesn’t appreciate gorgeous jars and boxes and containers? I should really do a cleanout but I am too much of a hoarder.
P: It would be a great reason to pick up some more chestnut puree…man that stuff is addictive.
B: I really am :D Thanks Bron
S: Thank you. I’m having lots of fun experimenting – and the flavours are truly quite different, so much so that I do a little taste test for the recipes I’ve tinkered with so far :D
Sh: I knew honey on skin wasn’t a joke! It really is a miracle…so nice on sore throats.