Elevate dishes by cooking with Hawaii honey

Hawaii’s climate creates a perfect environment for honey production. Local bees collect nectar from Hawaii’s tropical flowers — such as mango, lilikoi, citrus, coconut, lychee, avocado and starfruit — so the honeys they produce can vary widely in flavor.

Honey production has been on the rise in recent years, and we are now able to purchase Hawaiian honey at many farmer’s markets, specialty stores and mainstream supermarkets.

This week, try recipes from local honey farmers.

HONEY BBQ RIBS

By Erika Ota, Manoa Honey

• 4 pounds pork ribs, cut into serving pieces

>> Sauce:

• 1/2 cup local honey
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, combine sauce ingredients; stir until honey dissolves. Add ribs to bowl. Marinate 3-4 hours.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake ribs 30-40 minutes, until cooked through. Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 370 calories, 17 g total fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 110 mg cholesterol, 400 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrate, no fiber, 22 g sugar, 29 g protein.

HONEY KASUTERA (JAPANESE CASTELLA CAKE)

By Erika Ota, Manoa Honey

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 cup local honey
• 2 large eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 cup bread flour

>> Tip: Bread flour gives the castella cake a bouncy texture that regular flour cannot achieve.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream honey, eggs and egg yolks for 5-10 minutes, to the consistency of whipped cream.

Add flour and gently combine, but do not overmix.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 230 calories, 3 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 95 mg cholesterol, 50 mg sodium, 47 g carbohydrate, no fiber, 35 g sugar, 4 g protein.

GINGER-TUMERIC SYRUP

By Jeanine Nakakura, Dakota’s Aiea Honey

• 2 cups ginger slices, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup sliced turmeric, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch pieces
• 1-3/4 cups white or brown sugar
• 1/4 cup local honey
• 2 cups water
• Dash black pepper
• 1 tablespoon lime juice

Combine ingredients in small saucepan; bring to low boil. Lower heat and simmer until reduced by half and a syrupy consistency is reached, about 1 hour. Remove from heat.

Remove ginger and turmeric; use to make candy (see below).

Let syrup cool and thicken. Pour into a jar and refrigerate. Makes about 2 cups.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per 2 tablespoons: 100 calories, no fat or cholesterol, 25 g carbohydrate, 25 g sugar, no sodium, fiber, or protein.

HOW TO USE

>> Candied ginger and turmeric: After making syrup, spread reserved pieces of ginger and turmeric on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup sugar. Bake at 225 degrees for 3 hours for chewy slices, or at 300 degrees for 2 hours for crispier slices. Check frequently to prevent burning. Cool and store in an airtight container. Serves 8.

>> Ginger-turmeric drink: In a pitcher, combine 2 cups ginger-turmeric syrup with 3 (12-ounce) cans cold seltzer water, 1 (12-ounce) can cold ginger ale, 1/4 cup citrus juice (lemon, lime or orange) and 1/4 cup finely chopped mint or mix of mint and basil. Pour over glasses of ice and garnish with lime wedges and mint sprigs. Serves 8.

No nutritional information available.

More Hawaiian Electric Co. recipes are available at hawaiianelectric.com.