Sherrel's Honey-Peach Ice Cream
Stephanie Rosenbaum's new book, "Honey From Flower to Table," recounts the miraculous journey of honey with a generous serving of lore and flavor. It's recommended reading if you have a serious interest in honey production. Entire chapters cover topics such as backyard beekeeping, recipes and even craft making. My Grandpa Henry and my mother shared the love and labor of beekeeping. Mother purchased her first hives from her father-in-law when I was in elementary school. She felt the pollination was vital to the success of our peach orchard. Even with her allergy to stings, she persevered.
You have to love the honey harvest to suit up during the heat of an Oklahoma summer to smoke those bees and rob the supers. Light colors such as beige or white are best for working around bees. (Beekeepers know that dark and bright colors tend to excite or agitate bees. This is something for us to remember when heading out for a garden tour or simply to pick squash or tomatoes. It reduces our chances of getting stung.)
The most popular flavor of honey, of course, is wildflower honey. This label is something of a catchall, as is the honey itself. The honey is usually from a variety of pasture blossoms and may include pollen from nearby fields of alfalfa as well as native wildflowers. The taste is that of the landscape itself. Many feel that a purchase of honey indigenous to your particular locality may be of benefit to various allergies to particular pollinating plants.
Alfalfa honey and clover and orange blossom honey are some of the most common American honeys on the market.
When using honey in recipes, measure it easily with an oiled measuring cup. The entire amount of honey slips right out and into the recipe. You can substitute honey into most any recipe that uses sugar by including half of the sugar and the other half honey. If the recipe calls for one cup of sugar, use 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of honey.
In a liquid measure situation, you should reduce the liquid called for in any recipe by 1/4 cup for each cup of honey used. Rosenbaum suggests that one counteract the natural acidity in honey when baking by adding 1/4 teaspoon baking soda for each cup of honey used. Honey also speeds up the baking process. She recommends reducing the oven temperature by 25 degrees when baking with honey.
Like sugar, honey can actually break down gluten, which is the natural protein necessary to hold bread dough together. The recommended ratio is no more than 1/4 cup honey to each two cups of flour. High-protein bread flour achieves the best result when making bread with honey.
If honey crystallizes, simply reverse the process by gently warming the jar in a pan of warm water until it returns to its smooth liquid state. You can microwave the jar a few seconds at a time on high until it reaches the desired state.
I am particularly fond of using a honey and butter mixture brushed on top of bread or biscuits during the last few minutes of baking. Simply melt a mixture of two tablespoons honey with 1/4 cup butter, and brush on topof the bread. I also use honey and olive oil when making large Italian loaves.
Sweeten up your cooking soon with this little miracle. Add it to a marinade or barbecue sauce. Whip it with butter and orange rind. Drizzle it over a fresh hot biscuit, or use it to sweeten ice cream as in the recipe I've included.
However you decide to use it, jars of golden honey harvested locally are a true taste of Oklahoma in bloom.
Sherrel Jones can be reach by e-mail at feedback@ justdelish.com.