My good friend, Sarah Lasry of Tastebuds’ fame, introduced me to homemade granola as I know it today. Before she opened her cafe in 2003, she had an intimate gathering around her dining room table for the purpose of tasting the dishes to be served at the restaurant. I was one of a select few people chosen, whose criticism and approval she sought. One of the items Sarah served us was this homemade granola with just enough plain yogurt on top to moisten and hold the ingredients together. In the restaurant, it was taken to a new level with fresh sliced strawberries, fresh blueberries and perhaps a few slices of banana on top. The granola was always in high demand in the store and was sometimes sold in gourmet bags to go. Here is the original recipe as printed in Sarah Chases Nantucket Open House Cookbook. Sarah Lasry printed it with a variation in her Dairy Gourmet Cookbook.
Granola is one of those things that are easy to make and a treat to have on hand for those occasions that you need a little extra something on hand. It’ll dress up a breakfast, a shalosh seudos and even an impromptu visit by a friend for coffee. I usually do not add the dried fruit to the granola. I like to decide what I want to add with regard to dried or fresh fruit when I am serving it. This recipe makes a large amount but freezes well. I have given this for mishloach manos once or twice and received great feedback!
HOMEMADE GRANOLA
Ingredients
- 9 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 4 cups shredded coconut
- 1 1/2 cups whole hazelnuts
- 1 1/2 cups slivered or sliced almonds
- 3/4 cup honey
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- 1 cup golden raisins
- 1 cup dark raisins
- 1/2 cup chopped dates, optional
- Other diced fruit like apricots, figs, prunes can be added or substituted.
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Toss oats, coconut, and nuts in a large roaster pan or cookie sheet. Whisk honey & oil in a small bowl. Pour over oats and mix till coated. Bake 25-35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, till golden.
Remove from oven and aerate by mixing several times while it’s cooling. Add dried fruit, if desired.
Note: I’m not sure if you want this information, but at one point, I figured out the calorie content of this recipe. I included 1 cup of raisins and 1/2 cup of dates in the nutritional facts. The results were as follows: there are 770 calories per cup of granola which translates to 48 calories per tablespoon. The total fat per cup is 41g, sat fat 11g, carbs 90g, fiber 12g, sugars 33g, protein 17g
Ina Garten has a granola recipe which was inspired by the one above. It is equally delicious and of a lesser quantity. I also prefer the dried cherries and cranberries to the raisins, which you can switch in the above recipe as well. You can see it here http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/homemade-granola-recipe/index.html
Ingredients
- 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- 2 cups sliced almonds
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup good honey
- 1 1/2 cups small diced dried apricots
- 1 cup small diced dried figs
- 1 cup dried cherries
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup roasted, unsalted cashews
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Toss the oats, coconut, and almonds together in a large bowl. Whisk together the oil and honey in a small bowl. Pour the liquids over the oat mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until all the oats and nuts are coated. Pour onto a 13 by 18 by 1-inch sheet pan. Bake, stirring occasionally with a spatula, until the mixture turns a nice, even, golden brown, about 45 minutes.
Remove the granola from the oven and allow to cool, stirring occasionally. Add the apricots, figs, cherries, cranberries, and cashews. Store the cooled granola in an airtight container.
A couple of weeks ago, when I was in Brooklyn, I stepped into The Peppermill on 16th Avenue and saw that they were selling containers of donut mix! What could be easier than that? Add warm water, let rise 45 minutes and the donuts are a piece of cake ;). So today, when my daughter invited us for a Chanukah party, I offered to bring donuts! Of course, I was running late and decided to use the donut mix, but the finished dough looked so small, that I started to panic that there wouldn’t be enough (ever happen to you??) and put up a fresh dough of my favorite tried and true donut recipe as well. Well, the results of my made-from-scratch recipe were so outstanding that the donut-mix donuts were all left over! The dough mixes up in one bowl and it is a perfect consistency and yummy to work with. I have this recipe since I was newly married, and despite all the recipes I’ve tried over the years, this one kicks!
While still warm, dip into confectionery sugar or regular sugar. This recipe is not very sweet, so I like to fill (inject) it with raspberry jelly or custard. Topping it with poured fondant or chocolate glaze gives it a professional touch.
