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Authors: Cal Orey

The Healing Powers of Honey (32 page)

BOOK: The Healing Powers of Honey
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Desserts
In my younger worker bee days, an older man cooked dinner for me. The salmon was a meltdown because of a rich commercial sauce. Heartburn hit. The salad wasn't fit for a honey bee. Iceberg lettuce is not fit for an iguana. The light-colored greens don't have nutrients like baby spinach with its antioxidants. But the dessert was created for a queen bee. I was served a huge slice of store-bought pound cake, not enough strawberries, gigantic scoops of vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream. I transcended to old-fashioned strawberry shortcake heaven.
These days, I make shortcake with a more sophisticated spin for health nuts who are watching calories, fat, sodium, and cholesterol. First I use a heart-healthy baking mix for the shortcake. Instead of sugar I turn to wildflower honey. I use organic 2 percent low-fat milk and earthy spices: cinnamon and nutmeg. I zap the artificial whipped cream and turn to calcium and vitamin A–rich Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Honey Bee ice cream and drizzle honey on top of the masterpiece. I've got a new crush on my strawberry shortcake fit for a queen bee or her beekeeper with a sweet tooth.
In this section you'll notice that I've included plenty of desserts, because I am a dessert lover. I chose recipes that include common foods of the Oldways Mediterranean Diet and Pyramid. Naturally,
Apple Honey Pie
(an all-American favorite with a taste of honey) is part of the lineup, but other gems include
Baklava, Filo Pear and Honey Tarts, Honey Bee Brownies,
and
Walnut Cake and Honey Lemon Syrup.
Once you begin baking with honey, there's no going back.
Apple Honey Pie
Apricot Honey Crème Bars
Baklava
Butternut Squash and Orange Crème
Carrot, Honey, and Raisin Cake
Chocolate Honey Brûlées
Coconut Custard Pie
Coconut Macaroons
Cranberry Honey Almond Tart
Filo Pear and Honey Tarts
Honey Bee Brownies
Honey Berries with Lime Pound Cake
Honey Oatmeal Cookies
Honey Sesame and Date Biscotti
Struffoli alla Napoletana
Sweet Potato Pie
Walnut Cake and Honey Lemon Syrup
Apple Honey Pie
2 cups peeled sliced apples
1 nine-inch pie shell
4 eggs
1 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup Sue Bee Honey
®
Chopped walnuts
Spread apple slices over pie shell.
Combine eggs, yogurt, cinnamon, salt, and honey to make a custard mixture.
Pour the custard mixture over the apples.
Sprinkle with walnuts.
Bake 45 minutes at 375ºF.
Cool to room temperature before cutting. Serves 8.
 
(
Source:
Courtesy Sue Bee Honey
®
)
Apricot Honey Crème Bars
CRUST
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, chilled
and cut into small bits
FILLING
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
¼ cup sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup Honey Ridge Farms Apricot
Honey Crème
¾ cup chopped dried apricots
TOPPING
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup dark brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter,
chilled and cut into small bits
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
TO PREPARE THE CRUST
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9x9x2-inch baking pan. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt and pulse to combine. Add cold butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Pat into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
TO PREPARE THE FILLING
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese with the sugar. Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Add lemon juice, vanilla, and Apricot Honey Crème and mix well. Stir in the apricots. Pour filling over the crust and spread evenly.
TO PREPARE THE TOPPING
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Pulse to mix well. Add the chilled butter and pulse until mixture is crumbly. Add the rolled oats and pulse to incorporate. Gently spoon the topping over the filling and pat down gently. Bake about 25 minutes, until bars are golden. Cool, then refrigerate before cutting and serving. Makes 20 servings.
 
(
Source:
Courtesy Honey Ridge Farms.)
Baklava
2 sticks butter
4 cups walnuts (finely chopped)
1 cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 pound package of phyllo
SYRUP
¼ cup honey
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 ¼ cups water
1 lemon rind (cut in chunks) (or a
few squeezes of ReaLemon juice)
1 cinnamon stick
4 or 5 whole cloves
Melt butter. Mix chopped nuts, sugar, and cinnamon. Brush a 13” x 9” x 2” glass baking dish with melted butter; sprinkle bottom with cinnamon. Place 3–4 sheets of phyllo on bottom of pan (trim or fold corners as necessary), brush with melted butter, and sprinkle nut mixture on top. Repeat process using only 2 sheets of phyllo per layer, finish with a layer of phyllo only, and brush once more with butter.
Cut halfway through the dessert at a diagonal in either direction to form diamonds. Bake at 300ºF for 15 minutes, then 325º for 60 minutes, or until golden brown.
While Baklava is baking, combine all ingredients for the syrup in a heavy-bottomed saucepan (to prevent burning), keep a careful eye on mixture, and stir frequently. Boil for 10 minutes; remove rinds and cloves and let cool for 10 minutes.
 
(
Source:
Courtesy Bee-Pure Honey
®
)
Butternut Squash and Orange Crème
1 small butternut squash
(about 2 ½ pounds)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup diced silken tofu
¼ cup honey
½ cup fresh orange juice
½ cup commercial vanilla-
flavored soy milk
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
½ cup blueberries, raspberries or
seasonal fruit
tablespoon grated nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Brush the squash with the canola oil; bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until fork-tender. Let cool.
Cut the squash in half. Remove the seeds and discard or save for another use. Scoop out 1 cup of the flesh and transfer it to a blender or food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the silken tofu, honey, orange juice, soy milk, and orange zest; process until smooth.
Spoon equal portions of berries or other fruit into chilled wineglasses or dessert cups. Pour the crème over the fruit and grate a little nutmeg over the top. Chill for 30 minutes. Serve chilled. Makes 6 servings.
 
(
Source:
Reprinted with permission from
The Golden Door Spa Cooks Light & Easy
by Chef Michel Stroot, published by Gibbs Smith, 2003.)
Carrot, Honey, and Raisin Cake
3 carrots
4 ounces whole meal
self-raising flour
4 ounces self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 ounce brown sugar
5 ounces honey
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 fluid ounces sunflower oil
3 ounces raisins
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line an 8-inch-round cake tin with grease-proof paper and brush with a little oil. Peel and grate the carrots on a chopping board. Place the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, and sugar in a bowl and mix together. Put the honey, eggs, vanilla, and oil in a separate bowl and mix together with a whisk or fork. Add to the flour mixture and mix well. Stir in the grated carrots and raisins with a metal spoon. Add a little milk to give a fairly soft consistency. Spoon the cake mixture into the lined tin. Bake for about 1 hour. Check that the cake is done by inserting a skewer or knife into it. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then loosen the sides and turn out onto a wire rack. Remove the lining paper and leave to cool.
 
(
Source:
Courtesy The Honey Association.)
BOOK: The Healing Powers of Honey
13.63Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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