Honey for a sweet year
By <A href="mailto:judiej@jewishledger.com">Judie Jacobson</A>

Rosh Hashana and honey go hand in hand: Apples dipped in honey, honey spread on challah, honey cake, are traditional holiday foods, symbolizing the hope for a "sweet year."   Cooking with honey, of course, is also a healthy alternative to sugar and contains a wide array of vitamins, such as vitamin B6, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin and pantothenic acid. Here are some tips from the Sue Bee Honey company(www.suebee.com) on how to get the most out of cooking with honey:

-- Reduce the liquid in a recipe by 1/4 cup for each cup of honey you use.

-- Replace sugar with honey: Simply substitute honey, cup for cup, in place of sugar. As a rule reduce the liquid by a quarter cup for every cup of honey used. In baked goods add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda for every cup of honey used and bake at a temperature 25 degrees lower than instructions call for. In cookie recipes using eggs and no additional liquid, increase the flour by 2 tablespoons per cup of honey, or enough flour to give the desired consistency. Chill before shaping and baking.

-- For every cup of honey used in a recipe, increase the baking soda by 1/2 teaspoon.

-- Reduce the oven temperature by 25º  to prevent over browning.

-- When baking cookies and scones, use honey to help reduce crumbling.

-- For easy measuring, coat the measuring utensil with vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray before you measure the honey.

-- To freeze sliced or crushed fruits for the winter, use one part strained honey to 4 or 5 parts fruit. For whole fruits, add one cup of water to every 2 cups of honey. Use just enough of the diluted honey to cover the fruit.

-- Add honey to fresh fruit or fruit salads. Honey's acidic nature prevents fruit from turning brown. Use light-flavored honey so it doesn't mask the fruit flavor.

-- Make your own honey butter spread. Beat together 1/2 cup margarine or butter and 1/3 cup of honey until smooth (about 3 or 4 minutes) and you have honey butter spread. 

-- To glaze meat, turn the oven temperature to 225º  and baste with honey every 10 to 15 minutes during the last hour of baking.

-- Add honey, one teaspoon at a time, to foods that are too spicy or too salty, such as chili. Honey will tame down the spices while enhancing the flavor; and you won't notice the sweetness.

-- Preserve fruit with honey <a href="http://www.honey.com/recipes/canning/pfruit.html">http://www.honey.com/recipes/canning/pfruit.html</a>

-- For a sweet, shiny glaze on your desert, mix honey with melted butter and drizzle over angel food cake or pound cake.

-- Need a topping for cupcakes or a carrot cake? Soften an 8 oz. package of cream cheese and mix with 1/4 cup of honey and a pinch of salt. Cream until smooth.

-- Brush honey on warm baked goods for a sweet shiny glaze.

-- Combine equal parts Dijon-style mustard and honey. Spread on sandwiches, use as a dip for vegetables and pretzels, or brush on grilled meat and sausages.

-- Drizzle honey over pancakes or cornbread.

-- Sweeten your barbecue sauce by adding 2 tbsp honey into prepared sauce. Add more to suit your taste.

-- Granulation does not affect the taste or purity of honey. Honey never spoils. It may be used granulated or restored to a liquid. To re-liquefy honey place the open glass or can container (never plastic) in a pan of hot water until all crystals melt Reduce the liquid in a recipe by 1/4 cup for each cup of honey you use.