Category: Fruit

Custom Granola

12/23/2020

I perfected this recipe so it'd have all my fave granola characteristics: the granola clusters we all crave, equal parts sweet and savory, crunchy but not tooth-cracking hard...and customizable! II've found that making this granola base, and then customizing with mix-ins later (when you serve) is the perfect solution because:

You can tailor it to each person’s individual taste
It retains its crunchy texture longer—the moisture in dried fruits can make jarred granola soggy over time, so the solution is to add when serving.

Things To Note:

You can make this vegan by omitting the egg whites, but be aware that the egg whites are the main secret to cluster formation, so you'll have smaller pieces.
The custom mix-ins are up to you. feel free to adjust quantities to taste, adding potent things like spices a little at a time so you don’t overdo.
to add spices later, use a strainer or sifter to get a fine, evenly distributed dusting. add little by little to taste.
You can certainly add the dry mix-ins to the entire batch (everything but the fruit) if the people in your crowd all have the same taste.
I prefer to roast the nuts separately (or even better, buy roasted nuts!) and mix in post-bake, instead of adding to the mixture before baking. that way, there's no danger of burning them.
Baking at a low temp (low and slow!) helps to ensure the granola will be crunchy in the middle, without burning the edges
The middle of the 'pancake' may take longer to bake. edges and thinner/smaller pieces will brown more quickly, so check oven often towards the end of baking and remove pieces as they brown to avoid burning.
this makes great gifts! you can package in a small jar or gift bag, with mix-ins tailored to each individual, and tie with ribbon and gift tag!
this’d be a delicious addition to your Christmas Day breakfast. Incredible with Greek yogurt, and of course, Jarfaits!

INGREDIENTS

5 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp sea salt
½ cup olive oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
½ cup nut butter or tahini
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 egg whites (if using packaged egg whites, 60 ml)

POSSIBLE MIX-INS (your choice!)

roasted chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, etc.)
toasted seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, etc.)
dried fruit (cranberries, candied ginger, apricots, etc.) -- be sure to chop larger fruits.
dried unsweetened coconut flakes
chocolate chips
dusting of spices -- (cardamom, ginger, etc.) -- see my Spicy Stamped Cookies for my fave DIY spice blend
sprinkling of ground seeds (chia, flax)
flaked sea salt

METHOD

Line two half sheet pans with a silicone mat or parchment
Position 2 racks near center of oven and preheat to 300°
Combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a large mixing bowl. set aside.
In a medium sized bowl or 2 cup capacity liquid mixing cup, whisk together oil, honey maple syrup, nut butter, vanilla and egg whites until well brlended.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well until oats are completely coated.
Spread mixture onto 2 prepared pans. should be a solid "pancake" about 1/4" thick.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until pancake bottom is golden brown (take a peek with a spatula).
Remove from oven and using a large spatula, flip over in sections so browned side is facing up
Return to oven, rotating pans from top to bottom and front to back.
Bake for 15-20 minutes longer, until golden, checking every 5-7 minutes for doneness, removing pieces as they brown.
Once golden brown of both sides, remove from oven and let cool on pan. even if some pieces are still soft, they will continue to firm up from the heat in the pan.
Let cool completely, several hours before storing in an airtight jar.
Add mix-ins as desired and enjoy!

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Baked French Toast

9/16/2020

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There are a ton of variations on baked french toast out there, but I was inspired by Sam's version because of its decorative design, and the addition of fruit. I love fruit with my french toast, and normally just throw some on the plate before serving. So, I was excited to see how the fruit and french toast would bake up together.

I love how this dish can be made the night before. I felt so accomplished when I woke up the next morning. It was like I checked something off my to-do list before i even got out of bed.

I made some adjustments...my challah was BIG, so I doubled the eggs to six, and used heavy cream. whenever I make panfried french toast, I normally use half & half or heavy cream, so I figured it should be ok. decadent, but ok. :-)

I used a 10" round baking dish with 1.5" sides. You can use whatever shape dish or pan you have on hand, but the key is that the sides are at least 1.5" high to contain the liquid. 2" would be even better. But to be safe, you could place the baking dish on a baking sheet to catch any overflow. i didn't have any overflow, but it's better to be safe than sorry... no fun cleaning the oven... so use the pan. :-)

If you use another shape dish/pan, simply adjust the arrangement accordingly. Any extra slices can be baked in a separate dish, or panfried. Maybe you'll come up with an even cooler design! I had so much fun creating and constructing this. I felt like a sculptor, because the challah is very malleable once it’s coated in the egg mixture.

People, I couldn't wait to snap the final pic so I could dig in. The fresh-baked aroma was driving me absolutely wild.
a drizzle of maple syrup, a dusting of powdered sugar and wowwww. This is like a pillowy heaven of lusciousness.

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Linzer Cookies

1/1/2019

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Yield: about 3 dozen 2” sandwich cookies

Ingredients:

8 oz. unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. almond extract
3/4 tsp. salt
1 egg, room temperature
1 cup almond meal (I use Trader Joe’s. If you can’t find this in your store, grind roasted almonds in a food processor until finely ground.)
3 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup jam, or filling of choice

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Decorated Sugar Cookies

6/28/2018

2 Comments

I've partnered with Five Acre Farms and Our Name Is Farm to spread the word that June is National Dairy Month! Local dairy farmers across the US are having a super hard time because of the low prices of conventionally-produced dairy products. We can help by buying local dairy products, which are almost always higher quality, transparently-sourced, ethically-produced and better tasting!! I feel so lucky that here in NY we have family-run farms and cooperatives like Five Acre Farms supplying us with awesome local dairy items.

I made these cookie cows with super fresh Five Acre Farms eggs. I just love how the farmer's story is inside each egg carton. The "pasture" is made from chives and lantana from my garden. You can get the cookie & icing recipe below.

My love for buying local food whenever possible started about 20 years ago, back when i was living in San Francisco and frequenting the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. It soon became my Saturday am ritual. I'd stay for hours, getting to know the farmers, and eventually i started working there. My meals seemed even more delicious with that added dimension of knowing where my food comes from, and that sense of community that forms when you are connected to the source.

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I'm part of the Amazon Influencer Program, which basically means you can now find a collection of my favorite baking tools all in one place! When you go to my shop, you'll see what I recommend, complete with helpful tips in the comments. I do get a small fee for any items purchased through my storefront. click the button below to access my shop, and feel free to email me with any questions!

Custom Granola

Baked French Toast

Linzer Cookies

Decorated Sugar Cookies

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