Recipes
Honey and Pine Nut Tart
Honey-Roasted Plums with Mascarpone Cream and Brittle
Spiral Fritters with Honey
Honey Buns

Long before there was sugar, there was honey. The result of a symbiotic relationship between certain nectar-producing blooms and the insects that pollinate them, this enticingly sweet, perfumed liquid began to evolve with flowers and bees some 50 million years ago. By comparison, sugar is, at 9,000 years old, a newborn babe.

Humans have long braved bee stings to collect the precious substance that came to be known, justly, as the nectar of the gods. Ancient Egyptians revered it, securing the coveted offering for their deities. And honey still plays a pivotal part in Rosh Hashanah, symbolizing sweet things to come in the new year.

Bakers in particular are blessed, thrice, by honey. Unlike more straightforward sweeteners, honey has a flavor profile that varies dramatically depending on the nectar's source, adding delicate, lingering floral notes or a darker, richer molasses-like flavor to whatever it touches. Its dulcet overtones not only alter the personality of a dessert, they taste sweeter and more intense than sugar, which means recipes tend to require less of it. And, fortuitously, honey attracts moisture, ensuring that a baker's creation lasts longer -- provided there's any left.