Hot Honey

Pour the honey into a small saucepan. Add the chili flakes. Set over the lowest possible heat — you want the honey warm and fluid, not simmering or bubbling. Stir occasionally for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and let the chili steep in the residual warmth for a further 10 minutes. Capsaicin is fat-soluble but also dissolves in warm sugar syrup; the infusion works best at 60 to 70 C / 140 to 158 F. Too hot and you drive off the aromatic volatiles that give fresh chili its fruity complexity.

Stir in the apple cider vinegar and salt while the honey is still warm. The vinegar is not traditional in all recipes but it lifts the sweetness and prevents the honey from tasting cloying — a few drops sharpens the whole blend. Stir to combine, then allow to cool to room temperature for 10 minutes before tasting, as the heat from the chili blooms further as it cools.

For a clean, smooth drizzle, pour the honey through a fine-mesh strainer into a sterilised jar, pressing the chili flakes against the strainer with the back of a spoon to extract as much infused honey as possible. Alternatively, leave the flakes in the jar — they continue to infuse over time, increasing the heat level week by week. Stored at room temperature the honey keeps indefinitely; the chili will not spoil in honey's low-moisture, high-sugar environment.