Hot honey has become a favored condiment of late. Whether you are drizzling it over your ice cream or your fried chicken, it brings a lot of flavor to anything you drizzle it on. But before you shell out a lot of money on a little bottle, why not make your own? It's less expensive, but that's not why I do it. I do it because I like leaving the red pepper flakes in my bottle and enjoying a growing heat as I empty the bottle!
Of course, you can also strain the flakes out with a fine mesh sieve if you'd like before putting it in the bottle. You can also split a batch and strain only half of it. It's actually fairly fun to compare the flavor over time between the two bottles.
Now, what to use hot honey for? Besides the aforementioned ice cream and fried chicken toppings, I love using it drizzled over a slice of deep dish pizza, mixed into salad dressings and sauces, and drizzled over the top of my favorite bowl of ramen. Am I missing something? You bet! There are so many uses for this fun mix of sweet and spicy, you'll find yourself making double batches every month. Enjoy!
Hot Honey
- 1 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
In a saucepan over low heat, bring the honey, red pepper flakes, and rice vinegar to a simmer for 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and let the honey infuse for 20 minutes. Transfer to an airtight glass jar. You can strain the red pepper flakes through a fine mesh sieve if desired. The honey will get spicier over time if you leave them in.
- Yields: 1 cup hot honey
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes