Uses of honey in cooking
Honey is a product that can come in different forms: fluid, thick, crystallized.
It can be enjoyed alone on a spoon to enjoy all the flavors it contains. It can also be used as a sweetener in tea, herbal tea or coffee.
Honey is also your ally in the morning or for snacks. It can be enjoyed spread with butter on a slice of bread or a rusk. It can be added to fromage blanc, plain yogurt or even in cottage cheese to give it a fragrant note.
Finally, honey is a perfect addition to savory dishes , to make sauces for meats, to accompany foie gras, to roast vegetables in a lemon-honey juice or even on nice warm goat cheese toasts.
Honey is a must-have in your kitchen! From starter to dessert, it advantageously replaces sugar: its superior sweetening power allows you to reduce the amount of sugar in your recipes by a quarter.
Choose between a surprising, creamy lavender honey of extreme finesse, a liquidfir honey with full-bodied and woody flavors, a discovery assortment of 5 honeys from France or a multitude of other amazing honeys...
Preserving honey
The purpose of preserving honey is to maintain its quality, which is entirely possible for years (a maximum of two years according to beekeepers' advice). Honey is composed of pollen, wax, amino acids, trace elements and water, which is an open door for micro-organisms that could multiply and modify the quality and virtues of the content.
Bee honey contains 77% sugars, mainly fructose and glucose . This diversity of substances results in a modification of the compound when it is stored in precarious conditions. It must be stored in a dark and dry place, protected from humidity and at a temperature of around 25°C .
According to beekeeping professionals, honey does not have an expiration date as such. In fact, it is a product that can be consumed without risk, even after a long period of time. However, the sensory qualities (such as taste) of honey, and its properties, can be altered. It is a product that can ferment, which is why in beekeeping we do not talk about the expiration date of honey, but about the DLUO (Best Before Date).
On the other hand, there are two types of phenomena: crystallization and fermentation . Crystallization is a completely natural phenomenon that has no impact on the properties of the product, so you can still consume it or use it in your recipes. To overcome this problem, simply put it in the microwave or in a bain-marie at low power so that it regains its liquid appearance.
Regarding fermentation , which is another natural phenomenon, it affects the properties and quality of the products, making it unfit for consumption. The fermentation of honey is due to the presence of moisture in the jars. This is why it is important to store honey properly in a suitable container, usually glass according to the advice of beekeeping professionals.
Our recipe idea
Recipe for chocolate and honey madeleine by François Daubinet
STEP 1 :
- Preparation of the dough the day before: melt the butter over low heat and boil for 1 minute until it turns a hazelnut color.
- Book.
2ND STEP :
- Finely chop the chocolate using a knife.
- Book.
- In a bowl, mix the eggs, caster sugar, honey, milk and cocoa powder. Sift the flour and baking powder into this mixture. Mix everything together and add the warm hazelnut butter, let the dough cool and add the chopped chocolate, mix again. Then cover the dough and keep it in the refrigerator overnight.
STEP 3:
- The next day, preheat your oven to 210°C (gas mark 7).
- Using a brush, coat the molds with melted butter and sprinkle them with flour.
- Using a tablespoon, fill the molds ¾ full with the reserved batter.
- Place the molds on the oven rack (for better cooking), cook for 10 to 15 minutes at 180°C while monitoring the coloring of the madeleines.
- Let cool before enjoying.
