Foodmomiac

Huge Success - Homemade Granola!

Last year, I decided that I'd make my own granola. Michael fell in love with the granola at our favorite breakfast place near my mom and step father's house in Massachusetts, and there is simply nothing store bought that even comes close.

For some reason, when I made the granola last year, I decided to follow Mark Bittman's recipe. Now, don't get me wrong. I love Mark Bittman, and I love most of his SAVORY recipes. But for sweet stuff? I just never have success. So... I made some mediocre granola last year, and then I gave up.

When I spotted Molly Wizenberg's granola recipe in last month's Bon Appetit, I was intrigued. It was made differently from Bittman's version, and her description of its wonders was VERY convincing. I decided to give it a try. One of the perks of her recipe is that it encourages a lot of experimentation.

I made my first version yesterday, and I absolutely adore it. I already have ideas for riffs on the recipe next week, and I think I might cook it for 5-7 minutes less, but other than that, it is total breakfast (or snack) perfection.

Best Homemade Granola

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup raw pecans, smashed up
3 tablespoons wheat germ
2 tablespoons flax seeds
1/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons canola oil

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Dump the first nine ingredients into a giant bowl and combine well with your hands, making sure the brown sugar breaks up. In a small saucepan, heat the honey and the oil until it is smooth and liquidy. Add the honey mixture to the oats and stir until the dry ingredients are all coated.

On a large baking sheet lined with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper, spread out the granola into a thin layer. Bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. Pull out of the oven and press down to set a bit. After the granola is cool, break it up into chunks and place into an airtight container.

Serve with milk or (my favorite) plain Greek yogurt, topped with fresh berries.

A Crazy PickPocketing Story with a Bonus Family Breakfast Recipe: Crepes!

I love crepes. But doesn't everybody? Crepes are one of those foods that I can't imagine anyone disliking (other foods in this category include garlic knots and French onion dip). I actually got pickpocketed once as a direct result of my love of crepes.

It was late at night in Paris. I was studying there during my junior year, and had a late night craving (let's call it "the munchies") that could only be satiated with a nutella crepe. I was hanging at my friend Judith's apartment on the Boulevard Montparnasse (she lived almost directly above La Coupole, for those familiar with the area), and there happened to be a crepe stand just outside her building. So, I ventured outside and purchased a nutella crepe. I couldn't wait to eat it, so I dug in right there, standing on the sidewalk, looking out at the traffic and pedestrians of the busy Boulevard.

In those days, I never carried a purse. I wore an oversized men's leather jacket (it was the early 90s) and kept my wallet in the inside pocket. In those days, a group of gypsy types hung out in an alcove right next to La Coupole. They had some mangy dogs and were all kind of dirty and scary looking. That night, I was so enraptured by the warm, sweet Nutella oozing out of my freshly-made crepe that I didn't even notice when someone lifted my wallet right out of my jacket pocket and took off with it.That was some crepe, my friends.

(Side note: for those thinking that it is absolutely impossible for someone to be pickpocketed without even noticing, I urge you to rent the 1959 movie Pickpocket by Robert Bresson. Parisian pickpockets have some mad, mad skills, and this movie showcases their underworld so, so well.)

Wow, that was a really long-winded way of leading up to my favorite crepe recipe. I use the Basic Crepe Recipe from the Moosewood Cookbook. I blend up the batter, let it sit for a bit and then start making crepes to order. I put an assortment of toppings on the counter and the kids can choose whatever they want. My favorite is the simple combination of butter and sugar, to which I'll occasionally add some thinly-sliced bananas. Dylan loves honey. Michael and Max vacillate between Nutella and fruit jam.

Crepes (adapted from The Moosewood Cookbook)

1 egg
1-1/4 cup milk (I use low fat)
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
butter

Combine the first four ingredients in a blender and blend well. Let sit for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Using a pastry brush (I prefer the silicon kind), brush the skillet with butter. Pour in about 1/4 cup of batter and swirl around to make a big-ish circle. Once you get skilled, you can try spreading the batter around a bit (quickly) with a rubber spatula. Once the crepe is set, add the ingredient of your choice, fold the crepe into quarters and serve immediately.

Bon Appetit!

Dutch Babies (a.k.a. lazy man's pancake)

I am definitely more of a savory person for weekend breakfast (omelets, hash browns, BACON!), but sometimes something sweet is in order. This is especially the case when berries have finally come into season.

Thanks to the fabulous Holland Farmers Market, I know have giant bags of berries in my fridge, and I knew that I'd have to utilize some of them for this morning's breakfast. Standard blueberry pancakes were definitely an option, but I'm lazy. And the thought of standing over the griddle, cleaning the griddle, etc. etc. was just too much to contemplate today. But a dutch baby? That's easy! The batter comes together in moments, and it cooks in the oven, yielding very little miss and a beautiful puffy pancake for your efforts.

This can be made with no fruit at all (sprinkle the finished pancake with lemon juice and powdered sugar) or with any fruit you like, including berries, bananas, or thinly sliced apples.

Blueberry Dutch Baby

1/4 cup butter (unsalted is preferable)
1 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if your butter is salted)
big handful of blueberries

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the butter in a glass pyrex pie plate and put in the oven. Allow the butter to melt. While the butter is melting, whisk together the milk, eggs, flour, sugar and salt. When the butter has melted, remove the pie plate from the oven. Pour in the batter and then sprinkle it with a healthy handful of berries. Place back into the oven and cook for 25 minutes.

The pancake will be very puffy and beautiful. It will collapse slightly as it cools, so if you want a photo, take one quickly!