Make A Jewel-Toned Honey With Two Ingredients

I am a fierce and unapologetic defender of beige food—always have been, always will be—but even I will admit that a pop of cheery colour can make a meal, snack, or beverage more enjoyable. If that pop of colour happens comes in the form of a tart and sweet berry-infused honey, well that’s even better.

Berry honey is a two-ingredient revelation I first stumbled upon while browsing Martha Stewart’s website. It’s a simple recipe: add berries to honey, simmer, strain, enjoy. Martha uses fresh raspberries (that she probably picked from her berry bog or whatever), but there is absolutely no reason you can’t use frozen, and you should feel free to play around with multiple types of berries.

Since berries have a good bit of water in them, berry honey is less viscous than un-berried honey. If you want a thicker honey, use a one-to-one ratio of honey and berries. If you want something that’s a little more pourable (for cocktails, of course) double the berries. Both ratios will give you a beautiful, jewel-toned tart and sweet honey syrup, that’s great stirred into cocktails, drizzled on ricotta toast, or mixed into a vinaigrette. To make it, you will need:

• 1 cup honey

• 1-2 cups frozen berries, depending on your desired viscosity

Add honey and berries to a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Give everything a stir to break up any frozen honey and berry chunks, then return to a simmer once more. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and save the solids for smoothies or use them as a yogurt topping. Let honey come to room temperature before storing in the fridge, where it can be stored for up to two weeks.