After asking my friend Michael what delicious recipe I should feature on the blog for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, I received, literally, five e-mails packed full of ideas. They ranged from round challah to mock gefilte fish to date honey. Surprisingly, the simplest recipe of the bunch stood out the most to me.
The idea of making my own vegan honey in order to replace that made from bees is something I've never even considered doing because store-bought replacements, like agave nectar, are now readily available. But with the start of the High Holidays here, I thought this would be the perfect time to give it a try.
The recipe I used to test the whole homemade-vegan-honey thing came from Leah at The Lilith Blog. It was surprisingly easy and quick to make, but the result wasn't how I remember honey being. And that isn't a bad thing.
The result was more of an apple-butter-like dip that was the perfect accompaniment for the apple slices I served it with; the combination is common to Rosh Hashanah feasts, and they signify the start of a sweet new year. You wouldn't want to add this to your tea—stick to the agave nectar for that—but it definitely could be used in baking. I bet it would even help with the binding in vegan recipes made without eggs.
Enjoy!
Date Honey
By Leah at The Lilith Blog.
8 Medjool dates
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp. water
4 pieces crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. agave nectar
•Remove the pits from the dates and quarter. Mash the dates with a fork into a paste-like consistency, then add the mash to a small saucepan.
•Add the lemon juice and 1/4 cup of the water and heat over a low flame for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently with a whisk or wooden spoon.
•After the water is absorbed, add the remaining water, the ginger, and the agave nectar.
•Continue stirring, adding additional water or agave nectar until you reach the desired consistency.
•Let cool and serve with apple slices.
Makes about 1 cup
... ...... ...
Comments ( 1 )
Five e-mails? I lost count. :-) Anyway, I think the date honey is a great choice.
Shana tova (happy new year) to all! :-)
Posted by Michael | September 30, 2008 3:01 PM
Posted on September 30, 2008 15:01