A Taste of Honey is a fact filled guide to honey and bees with a comprehensive glossary of 40 varietal honeys and over 60 fresh and easy recipes, both savory and sweet, using these honeys.

Honey is a lot like olive oil, how do you know what type to select from the store shelf? Are all honey bears created equal? What makes one variety of honey different from another? Which is better for baking and which is best for savory dishes? Why is one darker than another in color, what does that mean? All these questions and more will be answered in Taste of Honey. Veteran cookbook author, Marie Simmons, helps readers understand the life of a bee, and how the terroir of it's habitat influences both the color and flavor of the honey they produce. Then she explains how these flavor profiles are best paired with certain ingredients in over 60 simple, delicious recipes. Here is just a sample: Snacks and Breakfast: Flatbread with Melted Manchego, Rosemary and Honey; Honey, Scallion and Cheddar Scones; Honey French Toast with Peaches with Honey and Mint. Main Dishes: Crispy Coconut Shrimp with Tangy Honey Dipping Sauce; Salmon with Honey, Miso and Ginger Glaze; Baby Back Ribs with Chipotle Honey Barbecue Sauce; Cold Chinese Noodles with Peanut Honey Sauce. Salads and Vegetable Side Dishes: Pear, Stilton and Bacon Salad with Honey Dressing and Honey Glazed Pecans; Mango and Celery Salad with Honey and Lime Dressing; Honey Glazed Beets with Cinnamon, Orange and Mint; Roasted Eggplant Slices with Warmed Feta and Honey Drizzle. Sweets: Honey Pear Tart with Honey Butter Sauce; Chunky Peanut Butter and Honey Cookies; Honey Zabaglione; Honey Panna Cotta; Micki’s Special Honey Fudge Brownies.

In addition to full recipes, there are simple, fast things to do with honey called, Quick Hits with Honey:

• For crackers, celery boats or sandwich spread combine ½ cup peanut or almond butter and 2 tablespoons buckwheat, sunflower, avocado or alfalfa honey.
• Drizzle lavender, thyme or star thistle honey on a fruit plate medley of sliced fresh watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew.
· Serve a ripe pear, cut into thin wedges, with a salty blue veined cheese (Stilton, Roquefort or Gorgonzola) and a handful of toasted walnuts with a drizzle of chestnut honey.
• Season lamb chops with finely chopped rosemary, coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper and broil. Brush each side with generous coating of your favorite honey 1 minute before turning.
• Dress salad greens with equal parts fresh lemon juice and honey for a quick oil-free dressing.

In addition, 75 photographs by Meg Smith capture the intimate life of the bee and all it's activity producing honey, along with the gorgeous food you can make with it.