Recipes

There are several advantages in cooking with honey:
Honey is "hygroscopic" (absorbs moisture), so that foods baked with it tend to be softer, more moist and keep their freshness longer. For the same sweetening power, honey has fewer calories than sugar.

Different honeys have different flavours - which chosen wisely, will complement and add an extra dimension to the dish.
Honey is ideal for oven and microwave baking as the fructose in honey increases the browning effect.
Honey will provide some special attributes to your favorite recipes – golden crust, colour, flavour, moistness and moisture retention.

Lemon & Honey Lamb Ribs

800g-1kg lamb ribs

Marinade

1/4 cup oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 sticks fresh rosemary leaves, roughly chopped

1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves, chopped

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon paprika

Zest of 2 lemons

Pinch of chilli flakes

To serve

Chopped fresh parsley

Sesame seeds

Marinade: Mix all the marinade ingredients in a small bowl to combine. Place the lamb ribs in a container and add the marinade, mixing well to coat then cover. Leave to marinate for at

least an hour or overnight in the fridge.

Remove the ribs from the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking and season. Preheat a barbecue grill or frying pan to a medium-high heat. Add the ribs and cook until browned and crunchy on all sides – around 15-20 minutes. Arrange on a platter and sprinkle with fresh parsley and sesame seeds.

Crispy Roast Chicken

1 Chicken

3 tbsp Thyme honey

1 tbsp Paprika

1 tbsp oregano stuffing of your choice

For a chicken with a golden glaze, superb eating and crispy skin:

Stuff a chicken with your favourite stuffing. Roast in your usual manner, but half an hour before the chicken is finished, spread honey all over it, sprinkle with paprika and oregano.

Return to oven until cooked and golden.

Honey Biscuits

150g butter, softened

1/3 cup honey

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 large free range egg

1 cup rice flour*

1/2 cup tapoica flour*

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

*Alternatively, you can use spelt flour, buckwheat flour or all-purpose gluten-free flour.

Heat oven to 180C, and line two baking trays with baking paper. Place butter, honey and egg into a bowl and beat until creamy. Beat in vanilla extract, sieve flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt over mixture and gently mix until well combined.

Using a teaspoon, place small mounds of mixture about 3cm apart on baking trays.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. They will be slightly soft in the centre but will firm up as they cool. Leave on the tray for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Ginger Spiced Honey Cake

400g Rye Flour

7g baking powder

1/2 Tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1/2 Tsp Ground Ginger (or 1/2 Tbsp Chopped Crystallized Ginger)

3 Heaped Tsp Mixed Spices (Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Mace, Cloves, Coriander, Cardamom)

75g Castor Sugar

250g Kāmahi Honey

275ml water

Lodge a basin over a saucepan of hot water and melt the sugar with the honey. Dilute with water. Sift in remaining ingredients and stir well until mixture is smooth. Transfer to a greased

cake tin and bake on 160°C for about 1 1/2 hour

Honey & Rosemary Kumara

1 1/2 kgs Kumara, gold, peeled

3 Tbsp Olive oil

1 tsp Salt

3 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp Rosemary, finely chopped

2 Tbsp Butter

2 tsp Honey, thyme, lavender, clover or other single flora variety

Heat oven to 200C. Dice the kumara into 2cm chunks. Bring to the boil in a pot of salted water, gently simmer for 10 minutes. Drain the water off and place kumara on a roasting tray.

Drizzle with oil, season with salt, add the garlic cloves —unpeeled and squashed flat (they will be removed after roasting).

Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden and crisp, remove garlic cloves. Stir through the rosemary and butter so it melts and coats the kumara.

Place in a hot serving dish, then season with pepper and drizzle with honey to finish.

Rata Honey Ice Cream

1/2 cup (100gms) Rāta Honey

4 Tablespoons water

4 egg yolks

300 mls whipped cream

Melt the honey and water together slowly until the honey has dissolved. Stir, then bring the liquid to a rolling boil, until there are little even-sized bubbles all the way across the pot. Whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl with an electric beater. With the beater running, slowly pour in the hot syrup. Continue whisking until the mixture has cooled and is double its volume, or as thick as whipped cream. Fold whipped cream into mixture, checking sweetness. Pour into a mold, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for a minimum of 8 hours.

To Serve

Leave at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to soften slightly. Run a knife around mold, sit mold momentarily in 2.5 cm of hot water and put ice-cream onto a serving platter. Garnish with Southern Rata flowers if possible.

Serves 6

Try the same recipe with Rewarewa, Thyme or Honeydew for a gourmet tasting treat!

Honey Fudge Sauce

385ml can evaporated milk

1/2 cup Vipers Bugloss honey

1/2 cup cocoa

Mix evaporated milk, honey and cocoa in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil and is smooth. Let it boil for three minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Serve hot or cold. Delicious sauce for ice-cream

Kiwifruit Muffins

1/4 cup Kāmahi Honey

1/4 cup sugar

50 grams butter

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup milk

1 1/2 cup self-raising flour

Pinch salt

3 Kiwifruit- peeled, cored and diced

Melt honey, sugar and butter together in a microwave on high (100%) for 60 seconds. Beat in the egg then the soda until frothy. Add remaining ingredients and mix to just dampen dry

ingredients. 3/4 fill lightly greased muffin tins and bake in a preheated 200°C (390°F) oven for 15-20 minutes or until just cooked. Serve hot or cold split and buttered.

Rice Bubble Honey Crunch

100g Butter

75g sugar

2 Tablespoons Rewarewa Honey

5 cups Rice bubbles

Boil butter sugar and Honey till golden brown. Stir in Rice bubbles mix till combined. Press into a well greased cake tin and cut while hot; then place in fridge until hardened.

Try with different honey flavours for that extra special treat! e.g. Kāmahi, Rata, Tāwari etc.