Test Kitchen notebook

Honey with an intense flavor

You’ll never mistake this grainy, butterscotch-colored French honey for some wimpy clover honey. Miel de Chataignier (chestnut-tree honey) has a bold, intense aroma with notes of leather, sweet tobacco and dried fruit. If other honeys are like the flute, this one is an oboe.

In our pear dessert, just a bit is enough to add drama and complexity. The honey can also stand up to strong cheeses such as Parmesan or blue cheese, rustic breads, pancakes, walnuts or hazelnuts.

An 8.83-ounce jar of Miel de Chataignier is $5.95 from Nicole’s Gourmet Foods, 921 Meridian Ave., Unit B, South Pasadena, (626) 403-5751; or $4.25 plus shipping from https: //morpheus.safe-order.net/frenchfeast /order.htm (note that the address has “https,” not the usual “http”).