FERMENTED MANGO CHILE HONEY

This fermented honey is simple to make, and makes for a delicious, tangy, complex product.

Use it in place of sweeteners, drizzled on ice cream, in cocktails (like in our Mango-Chile Old Fashioned), in stir-fries, wherever, whenever. The honey adds a sweet, savory, and slightly spicy kick to anything it touches. Once in the fridge, the stuff lasts essentially indefinitely, getting a little funkier over time. It's best in sweet applications towards the beginning of its life, and best in savory applications after a few weeks in the fridge. But don't have us hold you back.

Recipe adapted from The Noma Guide to Fermentation by René Redzepi & David Zilber

1. Whisk together water and salt until the salt is fully dissolved. Add honey and whisk until fully incorporated.
2. Transfer to a clean glass jar, add the chiles and mango, and smash everything together with a wooden spoon to muddle the fruit. 
3. Lay a small piece of plastic wrap directly on the liquid's surface, being sure it reaches the edges of the jar. Cover the jar with a cloth and secure it with a rubber band. (You want to be sure that air can flow easily in and out of the jar. 
4. Leave the mixture to ferment at room temperature (preferably someone warm) until slightly sour and infused with the flavors of the chile and mango, about 5-7 days. Start tasting the honey after a few days to monitor its progress. 
5. When the funkiness of the honey is to your liking, strain out the mango and chiles through a sieve, and store the honey in the fridge (for a few weeks, or more) or the freezer (for a long time). The extricated mango and chiles make for a tasty snack all on their own.