Hottie
I’ve been listening to a lot of Megan Thee Stallion, lately. The empowerment in her music makes me want to fight, scam, steal and even murder at some points throughout the day. I can’t really explain or even measure the sorcery to create such a feeling, but Meg is able to do that consistently throughout her tracks. This recipe is fully inspired by her music, her personality and all the hotties all over the world hence the title.
Honey has been used as a healing ailment, an ingredient and even a condiment since someone risked being stung for a taste. Honey has overruled the sugary condiment space for centuries now, and it will continue to do so as long as bees aren’t extinct (SAVE THE BEES!). It literally has no limit like some people’s credit card. And, as those people should spread their wealth, you should spread your access to the queen of condiments/garnishes.
I was introduced to hot honey during a daily scroll through my Twitter feed. I saw it being mentioned constantly, and I really didn’t give it a try until months later. I figured that hot honey didn’t actually make sense. Spicy honey, what’s so special about that? I finally gave it a try and realized I was an idiot. My palette had been introduced into such a unique and tasty group of flavor. Hot honey is an amazing condiment for its sweetness battling a very warm spicy competitor. No wonder it is all the rave these days.
The entire recipe was bought with locally-grown or small store ingredients. I wanted to support the small businesses that make food such an intimate transaction of energy and flavor. I also wanted that to be fully expressed in this recipe from the hot peppers to the dried chili peppers used. Specifically, I want to focus on the dried Pasilla chiles that added such a smokey chocolate-y flavor to this simple recipe. I think those should be required for this unique experience. Same way this condiment should be required for your next home cooked experience.
hot honey
ingredients:
1 1/2c raw organic honey
2-4 dried chiles, de-stemmed (I used pasilla & guajillo, but California/chile de arbol works too)
1-2 hot peppers, roughly chopped (I used a locally grown hot pepper, but habanero/scotch bonnet works too)
Helpful items:
mesh strainer
mason jar
recipe:
Heat medium-sized pan to medium-high heat and place de-stemmed dried chiles inside (keep those seeds! that’s flavor!). Heat until smokey aroma is reached and chiles are slightly darker. Fair-warning, this might cause a bit of coughing so open a window or two.
Once the chiles have slighly darkened, add the chopped hot peppers to the pan. Sear for 1-2 minutes.
Pour the honey into the pan and allow honey to simmer for 3-5 minutes. Take pan off heat and allow honey to cool for 25 minutes.
Strain honey into jar or packaging of choice. enjoy! It goes well on wings (see below), pizza (see below again), sauteed shrimp and whatever else you’d like to try!
