Fried chicken, creme caramel and dressing: Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipes for cooking with honey

Honey is such a flexible ingredient within the kitchen. It’s not shocking, actually, given what number of varieties it is available in, although some are extra suited to heating than others. “Single-estate” honey – the sort that comes from a selected plant (acacia or manuka, say) – gained’t survive a lot warmth, so save that for spreading on toast, drizzling on yoghurt or making the type of dressing that steals the salad present. Honey is commonly the key behind sticky meat marinades, and can be used to tease the sweetness out of roast greens and so as to add a fancy sweetness to all types of desserts. The bee’s knees certainly.

Grilled and contemporary greens with honey-and-soy dressing

The dressing does an awesome job of tying collectively the contemporary and the charred flavours of the greens, and in addition works properly on meat and fish.

Prep 15 min
Cook dinner 25 min
Serves 4 as starter or a part of an expansion

80g sugar snap peas, stringy bits eliminated
1 pak choi (190g), quartered by means of the stem
4 spring onions (80g), trimmed
80g child carrots, peeled
60g breakfast radishes, halved

For the dressing
3 tbsp runny honey
1½ tsp soy sauce
1½ tsp wholegrain mustard
1 lime, zest finely grated, to get 1 tsp, then juiced, to get 2 tsp
3 tbsp olive oil
Flaked sea salt and black pepper

Put a griddle pan on a medium-high warmth and ventilate the kitchen. As soon as the pan is sizzling, lay within the sugar snaps and grill for 3 minutes on all sides, till barely charred. Switch to a plate, then lay the pak choi minimize aspect down within the sizzling pan and prepare dinner for 3 minutes on all sides. Switch the pak choi to the sugar snap plate, then put the spring onions within the pan, griddle for 2 minutes on all sides, then transfer to the identical plate and depart all of the griddled greens to chill for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, put all of the dressing components in a small jar for which you may have a lid, add a quarter-teaspoon of salt and grind of black pepper, seal shut and shake vigorously to mix.

Put all of the grilled and uncooked greens in a big bowl with three tablespoons of the dressing, a quarter-teaspoon of salt and grind of pepper, then toss gently to coat. Switch to a platter, pour the remaining dressing right into a small bowl and serve alongside the salad for dipping.

Crisp hen with ginger and oregano sizzling honey

Yotam Ottolenghi’s crisp hen with ginger and oregano sizzling honey.

The honey combination is the star on this, and is as at residence on cheese or grilled greens as it's on this hen. Make additional, if you happen to like, with out the lime and vinegar (add these simply earlier than serving), and preserve it in a jar within the fridge for as much as every week.

Prep 20 min
Marinate 1 hr+
Cook dinner 30 min
Serves 6

For the hen
200ml buttermilk
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp floor cumin
2 tbsp contemporary lime juice (from 2 limes)
500g skinless and boneless hen thighs, minimize into quarters
High-quality sea salt and black pepper
250g plain flour
3 tbsp tapioca starch (30g), or cornflour
350ml vegetable oil

For the recent honey
80ml runny honey
½ tsp chipotle flakes, or chilli flakes
30g piece contemporary ginger, peeled, 10g finely grated, the remaining julienned
1½ tbsp oregano leaves
2 limes, 1 zest finely grated, to get 1 tsp, and juiced, to get 1 tbsp, the opposite minimize into quarters
1 tbsp rice-wine vinegar

First, marinate the hen. Put the primary six components in a bowl with a teaspoon of salt and blend properly, cowl and depart to marinate for an hour (or, if you wish to get forward, refrigerate and marinate in a single day).

In the meantime, make the recent honey. Put the honey, chipotle, ginger, lime zest and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt in a small pan on a medium-high warmth. Cook dinner for 4 or 5 minutes, till effervescent and thickened, then take off the warmth and stir within the oregano. Depart to chill barely, then stir within the lime juice and vinegar.

Put the flour and tapioca starch in a medium tray and blend with a half-teaspoon of salt and grind of pepper. Dip the hen items one after the other into the flour combine, ensuring they're fully coated; depart any extra marinade on the hen, as a result of it is going to make the coating raggedy and crisp up properly (if want be, dip the floured hen items again within the marinade after which again within the flour combine once more, to make sure the coating is suitably scruffy).

Put the vegetable oil in a medium frying pan on a medium-high warmth and, as soon as it’s sizzling, fry the hen in three or 4 batches for seven minutes on one aspect and three or 4 minutes on the opposite, till golden and crisp throughout. Be sure to don’t overcrowd the pan or the temperature of the oil will drop too low. Drain on a rack set over a tray, so the oil drips off and the hen stays crisp.

Prepare the hen on a platter, spoon over half the honey combine and serve with the remaining in a bowl on the aspect.

Burnt honey and lime creme caramel

Yotam Ottolenghi’s burnt honey and lime creme caramel.

The comforting childhood favorite will get a really grownup remedy right here with the lime salsa and urfa chilli. Make these a day forward, ideally, to offer the cremes time to set totally.

Prep 20 min
Cook dinner 40 min
Chill 3 hr+
Serves 4

190ml runny honey, plus ½ tsp additional
Flaked sea salt
60g gentle brown sugar
130ml double cream
450ml complete milk
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 limes, zested, pith eliminated and flesh finely chopped
3 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks (save the surplus whites for one more use)
½ tsp urfa chilli

First, “burn” the honey. Put 150ml of the honey in a big saucepan with an eighth of a teaspoon of salt, activate the warmth to medium-high and depart to prepare dinner for 5 - 6 minutes, till darkish amber and effervescent furiously. Working shortly and punctiliously, divide the burnt honey between 4 ramekins, then shortly however fastidiously swirl it round so it coats the insides of the ramekins. Put aside to chill.

Wash out the pan, then add the sugar, remaining 40ml honey, the cream, milk, vanilla, lime zest and one other eighth of a teaspoon of salt. Put the pan on a medium-high warmth, convey as much as a boil, then take off the warmth and depart to infuse for half-hour.

Warmth the oven to 160C (140C fan)/325F/fuel 3. Stir the eggs and egg yolks into the infused milk, then pour the combo by means of a high quality sieve into the honey-lined ramekins. Put the crammed ramekins in a big oven tray with a lip, switch to the nice and cozy oven and punctiliously pour in sufficient boiling water to return midway up the edges of the ramekins. Bake for half-hour, till the custard is about however nonetheless has a slight wobble within the center, then take out of the tray and depart to chill. As soon as cool, chill for no less than three hours and as much as in a single day.

Simply earlier than serving, make the lime salsa by mixing the chopped lime in a small bowl with the additional half-teaspoon of honey and a quarter-teaspoon of salt.

To launch the cremes, fastidiously run a knife across the edge of every ramekin, put a serving plate on prime and invert it to launch. Spoon some lime salsa on prime and serve sprinkled with the urfa chilli.