(With that title, you're expecting a cookbook, aren't you? This is so much more!)
This was such a pretty cookbook! It could easily work as a coffeetable conversation-starter book too. It's super informative, with lots of honey/beekeeping info at the beginning. It's not overwhelming, and I found it all quite interesting. The novice needs not fear: there's a very complete glossary of honey and bee lingo in the back.
Scattered throughout the book are gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous photos of about 2/3 of the recipes, and more bee/honey pics in between. Like, I could and would frame the photos to hang on my walls gorgeous.
I checked out my copy of Honey from my library, and I did try a few recipes, but I think that if I purchased it, I would purchase it as a gift. Many recipes looked a bit too fancy for our house, or involved some rare ingredients, or were a bit more time-consuming than this working woman is willing to tackle, but I know a few really talented cooks who could definitely work their magic with these scrumptious-looking dishes. And then I could offer my taste-testing time. ;)
While some recipes called for certain honeys or even bee pollen, the author says in the introductory chapters that you can use any honey, even cheap stuff. She just gives recommendations in case you want to get into the subtleties of honeys. And bee pollen. And she gives suggestions as to where to find the stuff if you are interested in getting into specialty honey or pollen.
As I mentioned, I did try three recipes. Two were definite homeruns, and one was a fail. But I am not a great chef, so the one fail is most likely user-error.
*Honey Granola: Yum! This was super easy, pretty quick, and so delicious. I'm not always good at reading all the info in a recipe before starting, and didn't realize that it only makes about 2 cups granola. In the future I'll double the recipe.
*Zucchini with Pine Nuts, Basil and Honey: Yum! This one was slightly more complex than the granola, of course, but it was a win. The hubby said it was good too, and he's a pickier eater than I am. I also loved just how pretty the finished dish looked. This could be something I could take to potlucks or family meals and look impressive!
*Honey Whiskey Truffles: Fail. Sort of. Like I said: probably due to some error on my part and not on the recipe author's fault. I ended up with Honey Whiskey Pudding, kinda. Even after spending 90 minutes in the freezer, it's still way to soft to form into truffles. I'm going to eat it over ice cream! I tried a spoonful... heavenly.
Even if you're not a cook, I'd still recommend this book just for the photographs and information. Two thumbs up!
*I checked out my copy of Honey from my local library.
As I mentioned, I did try three recipes. Two were definite homeruns, and one was a fail. But I am not a great chef, so the one fail is most likely user-error.
*Honey Granola: Yum! This was super easy, pretty quick, and so delicious. I'm not always good at reading all the info in a recipe before starting, and didn't realize that it only makes about 2 cups granola. In the future I'll double the recipe.
*Zucchini with Pine Nuts, Basil and Honey: Yum! This one was slightly more complex than the granola, of course, but it was a win. The hubby said it was good too, and he's a pickier eater than I am. I also loved just how pretty the finished dish looked. This could be something I could take to potlucks or family meals and look impressive!
*Honey Whiskey Truffles: Fail. Sort of. Like I said: probably due to some error on my part and not on the recipe author's fault. I ended up with Honey Whiskey Pudding, kinda. Even after spending 90 minutes in the freezer, it's still way to soft to form into truffles. I'm going to eat it over ice cream! I tried a spoonful... heavenly.
Even if you're not a cook, I'd still recommend this book just for the photographs and information. Two thumbs up!
*I checked out my copy of Honey from my local library.
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