A taste of honey: Heavenly sweets and delicious savouries with a magic ingredient
HONEY recipes to cover all the bases.
Pumpkin and honey bread & Honey-roast granola with yoghurt and berries
Pumpkin and honey bread
Makes 1 loaf
Preparation time: 2½ hours
Cooking time: 35 minutes
300g (10½oz) peeled and diced pumpkin or butternut squash
2 tbsps olive oil, plus extra for brushing the loaf
100g (3½oz) clear honey
450g (1lb) strong white bread flour
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp allspice
1 pinch cayenne
1 tsp salt
2 tsps fast-acting dry yeast
100g (3½oz) pumpkin seeds
Peel and dice the pumpkin or butternut squash into 2cm (¾in) cubes. Put in a saucepan and boil for 15 minutes or until just tender.
Drain well then blend with the olive oil and honey until smooth. Allow to cool a little.
Sift the flour and spices into a large mixing bowl then mix in the salt and yeast.
Add the pumpkin or squash to the flour mixture and knead into a dough for 10 minutes, adding tepid water a little at a time if needed.
Cover the dough with a tea towel and leave to rise for 1½ hours.
Turn the dough out on to a work surface and knock back while kneading into a nice round loaf.
Place on to a parchment-lined baking tray, cover with a tea towel and prove for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 and place a small ovenproof tray of water on the base.
Remove the tea towel, brush the loaf with olive oil and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.
Bake for 35 minutes. The loaf will sound hollow when you knock on the bottom when it’s ready.
Slice and serve the bread with your favourite honey.
Honey-roast granola with yoghurt and berries
Honey-roast granola with yoghurt and berries
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
25g (1oz) goji berries
75g (2¾oz) pistachio nuts
75g (2¾oz) brazil nuts
75g (2¾oz) pecan nuts
75g (2¾oz) blanched almonds
75g (2¾oz) prunes
75g (2¾oz) dried apricots
300g (10½oz) jumbo rolled oats
75g (2¾oz) pumpkin seeds
50g (1¾oz) sunflower seeds
25g (1oz) golden linseeds
25g (1oz) desiccated coconut
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsps maple syrup
5 tbsps runny honey
75g (2¾oz) sultanas
75g (2¾oz) raisins
Greek yoghurt, to serve
Fresh berries, to serve
Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F/gas mark 2½. Soak the goji berries in warm water for 10 minutes then drain well – keep the liquid for a lovely healthy drink.
In a food processor, pulse the nuts, almonds, prunes and apricots until roughly chopped.
Place into a large mixing bowl, add the oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, golden linseeds, coconut and cinnamon then mix well.
Drizzle over the maple syrup and honey then mix well.
Spread out evenly over large baking trays – you’ll need more than 1 – and bake, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Stir in the goji berries, sultanas and raisins. Cook for another 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Allow to cool then seal in airtight containers until ready to serve.
Serve with Greek yoghurt and fresh berries.
Honey baklava
Honey baklava
Serves: 6-8
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
200g (7oz) pistachio nuts
50g (1¾oz) walnuts
50g (1¾oz) almonds
2 tbsps sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
150g (5¼oz) butter
18 sheets filo pastry
For the syrup:
150g (5¼oz) sugar
300ml (10½fl oz) honey
300ml (10½fl oz) water
2 tbsps lemon juice
1 tbsp orange blossom
Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/gas mark 3.
Pulse the pistachios, walnuts, almonds, sugar and cinnamon in a food processor until roughly chopped.
Gently melt the butter in a small saucepan. Lay 1 sheet of filo pastry in a 24x36cm (9½x14in) or similar roasting tray and brush with a little butter. Repeat this for 6 sheets.
Evenly spread half the chopped nuts mixture over the filo pastry.
Lay 6 more sheets over the top, buttering each layer.
Evenly spread the remaining nuts over the top.
Repeat with the 6 remaining filo sheets, buttering each layer.
Using a sharp knife, slice the baklava into 6x6cm (2½x2½in) diamonds or rectangles, making sure you cut through to the base.
Bake for 20 minutes until the top is just golden and crispy then turn oven down to 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2 and bake for a further 30 minutes.
Place all the syrup ingredients in a saucepan and bubble gently for 15 minutes or until it’s a light syrup. Allow to cool fully.
Remove the baklava from the oven and allow to cool a little.
Pour the syrup evenly into the slits, let it all absorb and cool.
Honey and cherry cheesecake
Honey and cherry cheesecake
Serves: 10
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
For the base:
100g (3½oz) dates
50g (1¾oz) desiccated coconut
200g (7oz) digestive biscuits
1 tbsp runny honey
50g (1¾oz) butter
For the coulis:
150g (5¼oz) pitted cherries, plus whole cherries to serve
50g (1¾oz) honey
1 tsp cornflour
50ml (1¾fl oz) water
For the topping:
800g (1¾lbs) cream cheese
150ml (5¼fl oz) sour cream
90g (3¼oz) runny honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
60g (2oz) plain flour
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Line the base of a 25cm (9¾in) cake tin with parchment paper.
Place all the base ingredients in a food processor and pulse until mixed but still with plenty of texture. Place in a baking tray, pressing down flat.
Put the cherries and honey in a small saucepan. Mix the cornflower with the water into a paste in a jug. Add to the saucepan, mix well and cook over a medium heat until it starts to thicken. Blend until smooth then set aside to cool.
Gently whisk the cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth. Mix in the sour cream, honey and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs then sift in the flour and whisk together. Add to the cream cheese and mix well.
Pour half the cream cheese mixture over the base then spoon over half of the coulis in small pools. Pour over the rest of the cream cheese mixture followed by pools of the remaining coulis. Run the end of a fork through the mixture to form decorative lines.
Bake for 10 minutes then reduce the temperature to 100°C/215°F/gas mark ½ and bake for a further 30 minutes.
Remove and allow to cool fully before serving with whole cherries.
Honey, lemon and thyme-glazed salmon with summer vegetables
Honey, lemon and thyme-glazed salmon with summer vegetables
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
2 red onions
1 yellow courgette
1 green courgette
2 red peppers
2 yellow peppers
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
75g (2¾oz) butter
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tsp chopped thyme
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsps honey
1 tbsp olive oil
4 skinless salmon fillets
Flour, to dust
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tsp cider vinegar
Fresh basil leaves, to taste
Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F/gas mark 2½ and place a large roasting tray in to heat up.
Peel the onions and cut each into 8 equal pieces. Slice the courgettes 1cm (½in) thick at an angle. Slice each pepper through the stalk into 6 pieces, removing the stalk and seeds.
Place all the cut vegetables into the preheated roasting tray and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes.
Heat the butter in a saucepan until foaming and starting to slightly brown. Add the garlic, thyme, lemon juice and honey to the butter then whisk gently over the heat for 2 minutes until it is just thickening. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Place a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat with the olive oil.
Lightly dust the salmon with flour on each side. Dip the salmon into the butter glaze then fry in the hot pan for 1 minute on each side. Place the salmon on a parchment-lined baking tray and roast for a further 8 minutes.
Toss the tomato halves in the cider vinegar then, when the vegetables are roasted, stir through the tomatoes and basil.
Serve with the salmon and a little extra drizzle of the honey glaze.