kv;

Of Honey

Liquid Honey — The kind you find in the
jars. Pure without any beeswax or honeycomb.
Liquid honey will become granulated (cloudy
and grainy crystallized) as it sits for long peri-
ods
oftiMe. To make liquid honey clear, the
,..
•::i-ioney needs just to be heated slightly.
,.„ ,,. Comb Honey — Honeycomb that is cut
away from the frame into squares. The wax has
not 'been uncapped and the only liquid is in
chambers, dripped out where the
';' .„ , . : , ,the honey
.
:;honey has been cut. The wax is edible.
Chunk Honey — Honeycomb is cut away
from the frame into smaller pieces. The comb
is put into the container and liquid honey is
poured over the comb to fill up the container.
The wax is edible.
.,:., Cream Honey — Liquid honey is combined
with a small amount of granulated honey and
whipped at high speed for a firm, yet spread-
able, consistency.

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,

1

-

A

Grilled chicken
breasts with orange
honey sauce

It'ar

Recipes with honey are a traditional way to encourage a sweet new year.

ANNABEL COHEN

Special to the Jewish News

0

ne of the sweetest rituals of
Rosh Hashanah is the dipping
of apples and challah in honey
while asking God for a zeesen
yar, a sweet year, before the beginning of
the main holiday meal. Sweet foods have
always been analogous with the sweet-
ness of the Jewish New Year.
It's been said that beekeeping was the
first form of agriculture. In times past,
honey was used as a healing salve for
minor cuts. Others claim it wards off a
variety of ills including many common
allergies. Some ancient cultures actually
used honey as currency. And several bib-
lical references to honey are cited, the
most famous referring to the Holy Land
as the "land flowing with milk and
honey."
Honey is among the purest of sweeten-
ers; it needs no other refinement — it is
a finished product right out of the hive.
You won't find any ingredient list on
pure honey. That's because pure honey
requires no additives or preservatives.
Honey has classically been associated
with hope and celebration, and the
ancients used it, and other sweetened
liquids, to flavor nearly all foods, includ-
ing desserts and drinks. Also, honey in
the ancient world was especially associat-

ed with richness and prosperity. Indeed,
honey was a common import and export
product, with rare varieties bagging pre-
mium prices.
There are more than 300 different dis-
tinctive varieties of honey made in the
United States from every type of flower
— from dandelions to poplar trees. And
Michigan ranks as the eighth largest
honey producer in the country
In the past, where honey was not
common, syrups derived from boiled
fruits such as dates, figs, grapes arid
carob, and saps from such plants as
papyrus and trees were utilized. Even
today, Sephardim may make sweetened
syrup from dates, called hallech, that can
be used in place of honey during Rosh
Hashanah.
Try the following sweet-as-honey
recipes. They're inspired by the holiday
and recommended whenever a reminder
of the sweetness of life is needed.

GREEN BEANS WITH PECANS
AND WARM HONEYED
APPLE DRESSING
2 pounds green beans
2 cups chopped Granny Smith apples
1/4 cup olive oil
1-2 t. minced garlic
3 T. honey
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup apple cider

2 T. grainy or Dijon mustard
1/2 cup crumbed blue cheese, any
type, or Feta cheese, any type
1/2 cup chopped pecans lightly
toasted
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Trim the stem end from rinsed green
beans (leave the pointed end
untouched). Bring a pot of water to a
boil and drop in the green beans. Blanch
the beans until they turn bright green,
about 1 minute. Remove the beans from
the water and rinse them under cold
water. Drain well.
Meanwhile, combine the apples, oil,
garlic, honey, vinegar, cider and mustard
in a small saucepan over medium-high
heat and bring to a boil. Remove from
the heat and cool until warm.
Arrange the green beans on a platter.
Sprinkle blue cheese, if using, over the
beans. Sprinkle the pecans over the
beans. Whisk the warm dressing well and
drizzle it over thebeans. Season with
fresh ground pepper to taste and serve.
Makes 8 servings.

.

GRILLED CHICKEN BREASTS
WITH ORANGE HONEY SAUCE
Chicken:
8 boneless and skinless chicken breast
halves (about 2 1/2-3 pounds)
2 T. vegetable oil
Kosher salt, to taste

Fresh ground pepper, to taste
Hot Hungarian paprika, to taste •
Fresh minced parsley, garnish
Sauce:
2 T. olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1 t. minced garlic
1/4 cup honey
3 T. grated orange peel
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup orange juice
1 T. fresh tarragon or 1 t. dried
1 t. ground cumin
1 1/2 cups chopped plum tomatoes
Heat grill to medium-high. Pound the
chicken breasts with a meat mallet until
they are about the same thickness
throughout. Brush the chicken breast
with vegetable oil and then season with
the salt, pepper and paprika.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over
medium-high heat. Add the onions and
garlic and saute until softened, about 4-5
minutes. Stir in the honey, peel, broth,
juice, tarragon and cumin. Bring to a
boil, reduce heat slightly and cook, stir-
ring frequently, until the sauce is
reduced and thickened to a syrup consis-
tency. Stir in the tomatoes. Keep warm
until ready to serve.
. Meanwhile, grill the chicken breasts
until cooked through, about 4-5 min-
utes on each side.

FOOD on page 98

8/30

2002

95