Of all the baked treats I bring my husband on our weekly weekend meetings, I think this homemade granola — maybe even more than chocolate-chip cookies and rich, fudgy brownies — makes him happiest. With a tub of this oat-, nut- and fruit-filled mix on hand, and with the barest of kitchen equipment, Ben can enjoy a homemade breakfast with little effort. Mixed with yogurt or milk, sliced bananas or peaches, blueberries or strawberries, homemade granola truly is a treat.
And as a last resort, granola also makes a fine dinner, as my high school friends — subjected to institutional dining hall food three times a day at an early age — can attest. Amazingly, they still never tire of granola and appreciate a homemade batch all the more.
This recipe has been adapted from Ina Garten’s “the bare foot contessa cookbook.” While the amounts of oil, nuts and dried fruit have been significantly changed, the proportion of the foundation — a mix of oats, sliced almonds and cococut (the secret ingredient) — remains unaltered.
Homemade Granola
4 cups (14 oz.) rolled oats 2 cups (6.5 oz.) sweetened, shredded coconut 2 cups (6.75 oz.) sliced almonds ½ cup (4 oz.) vegetable oil 2/3 cup (7.25 oz) honey 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon sea salt or 1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 heaping cup (5.25 oz.) dried cherries or cranberries
candied nuts (recipe below)
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl, combine oats, coconut and almonds and gently stir or toss with your hands to mix well. In a small saucepan, combine oil, honey, vanilla and salt and heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring to emulsify slightly. Pour over the oat mixture and with a spatula stir until evenly coated. Spread onto a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and stir well. Return to the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Stir well again. Repeat twice more until the granola is golden — be very careful at the end: The coconut will burn easily, leaving the granola with a bitter, burnt taste. Remove pan from the oven, place on a cooling rack and leave undisturbed until completely cool, at least one hour. Meanwhile prepare the nuts:
Candied Nuts: neutral oil such as canola or vegetable 1/3 cup sugar ½ teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon cinnamon 1½ cups raw, unsalted cashews 1½ cups raw, unsalted almonds (skin on)
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Oil a rimmed baking sheet.
In a small saucepan, combine sugar with ¼ cup water, the salt and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Add the nuts and let the mixture simmer for one minute, stirring constantly to coat them with the syrup. Remove the nuts with a slotted spoon and spread them on the prepared baking sheet — don’t be tempted to drizzle the excess syrup on the baking sheet as well (it will just burn). Bake for 15 minutes, stir and return to the oven until golden and crisp, about another five minutes. Remove pan from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool, about an hour.
To finish the granola:
Using a bench scraper, carefully remove the granola from the pan and transfer to a bowl, keeping the granola in chunks as best as possible. Add the nuts to the bowl, breaking up the mass into small clusters. Add the dried fruit and toss mixture lightly to combine. Transfer to an airtight container to store.
Frozen puff pastry is amazing. I finally found a use for the box I’ve had in my freezer for three years now — the box that survived a move across town in 2005 — and it baked off perfectly. This tart requires a fair amount of summer squash — a perfect showcasing of the season’s produce — and takes little time to prepare with puff pastry on hand.This recipe has been slightly simplified from one I saw recently in Saveur , which called for grating, salting and sauteeing some of the zucchini, and also called for chopped and strained cherry tomatoes. With a simple salad, this tart, served at room temperature as suggested by the author, makes a wonderful summer dinner, and leftovers make an even better lunch.
Summer Squash Tart with Ricotta and Feta Serves 6
1 10” x 13” sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed parchment paper pie weights or dried beans wrapped in plastic 1 tablespoon of olive oil 1 small onion, thinly sliced kosher salt and pepper to taste 2 lbs. mix of zucchini and yellow squash ½ cup fresh ricotta 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped 1 tablespoon butter, melted ¼ cup feta cheese
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place pastry on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. With a paring knife, gently score (being careful not to go all the way through) the pastry about one inch from the edge on all sides. Prick bottom of pastry all over with a fork, line center area only with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or beans. Bake for 20 minutes or until the edges are golden. Remove pan from oven and place on a cooling rack. Remove weights and parchment paper.
Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion. Season with salt and pepper and let sauté until slightly caramelized about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat to cool.
Zucchini and yellow squash at the South and Passyunk Farmers’ Market this past Tuesday: Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Cut the squash crosswise into ¼ – inch thick rounds. Add to the pot of boiling water, cook for 30 – 60 seconds, drain and let dry on a paper-towel lined cookie tray.
In a small bowl, whisk together the ricotta, egg and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste and spread onto puff pastry. Top with the onions. Arrange squash pieces in overlapping rows until tart is filled. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, brush with butter and return to the oven for five minutes longer. Remove pan from oven, sprinkle with feta, and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
CSA Week 10
1 bunch of beets grown by Farmdale Organics 2 green peppers grown by Meadow Valley Organics 3 Cubanella peppers grown by Green Valley Organics 1 head lettuce grown by Scarecrow Hill Farm 1 Walla Walla onion grown by the Scarecrow Hill Farm 1 dozen ears of sweet corn grown by Green Acres Organics 1 bag of potatoes grown by Green Valley Organic 2 lemon cucumbers grown by Riverview Organics 1 bag green beans grown by Hillside Organics
