Written by Tom Hunt - award winning eco-chef and Guardian columnist
I created this recipe for a street food concept that I co-created with my friend Sam Webb in Cornwall called Babette - Cornish Food, Moorish Flavours. We used a magical Cornish honey that had so much character. Experiment with different honeys such as heather honey, chestnut honey, or wildflower honey to impart their unique flavour in your seasoning process. Webb still serves the hot honey over his sourdough flatbreads heaped high with Cornish Yarg cheese finely grated on top.
Tom's art of seasoning tip:
Hot honey as seasoning: Even without salt, hot honey can be used to season food, adding sweetness, acidity and heat from the chilli in one application. Use hot honey as a glaze to season chicken or root vegetables before roasting or grilling, drizzle over grilled halloumi or roasted potatoes, or spoon over grilled peaches. The honey caramelizes under heat while the vinegar cuts through richness and the chilli adds warmth. Finish with flaky sea salt for maximum impact.
Ingredients:
- 450g honey
- 5-10g chilli flakes, added to taste
- 20g apple cider vinegar
- Cole & Mason's Stadhampton Chilli Grinder
Method:
Add the honey and chilli flakes to a saucepan. Grind the chilli flakes to release the flavour, using a grinder or pestle & mortar.
Bring to 75°C (or until it is too hot to touch but not boiling) over medium heat, remove from the heat and stir in the apple cider vinegar.
Cool to room temperature and transfer to a sterilized jar or squeezy bottle.
The hot honey will keep for several months stored at room temperature.
