Salted Caramel Granola

 

Ok...there isn't really caramel in the recipe, it's actually honey, but "Salted Honey" just isn't as popular, and besides, the honey does caramelize a bit, and it ends up being caramel colored.

I have really, really been enjoying my Green Smoothies for breakfast, but sometimes I'd like something a bit crunchier for breakfast. Also, I love granola as a snack during long days: the salt, the sweet, the cold milk, all combine for a great snack on a hot day, or for a quick lunch when I don't feel like cooking.





I was a little nervous to make the granola, because every time previously I had tried to make granola, I always burned it. But, I learned my lesson and here's the secret: when you are baking the granola stir it every 10 minutes. Simple enough, it just means you'll be in and out of the kitchen for half an hour or so. Or, you can do like I do, and get a good book and sit by the oven.

The measurements below are estimates, and really you could use more or less of any ingredient, as preferred, though if you add or subtract a lot of any dry ingredients, measure out the wet ingredients accordingly.

Salted Caramel Granola
3 1/2 C Old fashioned oats
1/2 C Flax seed
1/2 C shredded coconut
1/2 C Slivered almonds
1/2 C Sunflower seeds
2 Hearty dashes cinnamon (or to taste)
1/2 C Honey (actually, just a bit more than 1/2 C)
1/2 C Olive Oil (slightly less, certainly no more than, 1/2 C)
2 tsp vanilla
Pinch of table salt
1/2 C Raisins
1 Tbs (or to taste) coarse sea salt or kosher salt

Preheat oven to 325.

1. Mix oats, flax, coconut, almonds, seeds, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.

2. In a small bowl, mix olive oil, honey, vanilla, and table salt.

3. Thoroughly mix the wet ingredients with the dry, making sure that the oats, etc, are entirely coated.

4. Spread the mixture in a shallow baking pan lined with parchment paper.

5. Bake the granola for 30-40 min, until the whole thing is a caramelly golden brown. Stir every 10 minutes! Stirring is very important to make sure that the granola is cooked evenly and not burned.

6. As soon as you have taken the granola out of the oven, sprinkle the sea salt evenly over whole thing. This does make it pretty salty, so if you don't like salty sweet things, you can leave this out entirely. Mix in the salt.

7. Sprinkle the raisins over the granola and stir them in, then let the granola cool.





If you'd like to see more pictures of the granola check out the other blog

Orange and Almond Cream Pie

Happy Pi(e) Day!

Pi Day is one of the very best holidays ever because pi is one of the coolest numbers around, and pie is probably my favorite food.

So, to wish you a Merry Pi(e) Day, I offer the Orange and Almond Cream Pie. It is a fresh-fruit pie, and a versatile recipe because the orange can easily be substituted for almost any fresh fruit.



Orange and Almond Cream Pie

Ingredients
1 prepared pie crust
~2 Tbs raw sugar
~2 Tbs finely chopped almonds

1 quart whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla (or more, as desired)
8 oz (1 package) cream cheese
1/2 C or so powdered sugar (to taste)
1/2 C finely chopped almonds
1 C blueberries (optional)

3-4 medium oranges, peeled and chopped
1 Tbs powdered sugar
An additional orange and some more chopped almond for garnish


Crust

For the crust of this pie, I just used a traditional pie crust recipe, in this case the one I found in Fanny Farmer's Cookbook, so use your favorite crust recipe here, doesn't need to be fancy. After you've placed the crust in the pan, sprinkle the dough with raw sugar and a bit of chopped almond. Lightly press the sugar and almond into the crust. Bake as recipe directs.

After the crust has cooled, fill it as follows.

Filling
Whip the cream until it is thick. Add the powdered sugar to taste. Mix in the vanilla and cream cheese. Stir in the crushed almonds and the blueberries. Generously fill the pie shell with cream mixture, reserving some for garnish.

In a separate bowl, mix the chopped oranges with just a little bit of powdered sugar. Once mixed, layer the oranges over the cream.

Use a dollop of the whipped cream mixture for garnish, and make it uberfancy by placing some orange slices artistically. Sprinkle the whole thing with some more almonds.

Enjoy!

Amaretto Custard Ice Cream

One of the best things that has happened in my life is getting an ice cream maker. This will either tell you about my enthusiasm for ice cream or the sad state of my life, but let's assume the former and discuss this delicious treat. Here's a recipe for some chocolate amaretto ice cream.



Amaretto (Chocolate and Almond) Custard Ice Cream Recipe

2 C granulated sugar
1/4 C all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
2 C milt
1.5 C dark chocolate chips or baking chocolate
2 eggs
4 C light cream (or 3 C heavy cream and 1 C milk)
1 Tbs vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract (just a drop, really)

*I should remind the reader that I don't usually cook by measuring. So, I am not 100% accurate on the amount of chocolate, light cream, vanilla, or almond, but the above are approximates and will serve you well. Add more/less of the chocolate, vanilla, or almond as your taste dictates, but in saying that I remind you that almond extract is very strong.

1. Combine the sugar, flour, and salt in a double boiler. Slowly add the milk until the solids are dissolved, and then add the chocolate. Cook on medium/low, stirring constantly, until thick. Cook ten minutes longer.

2. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs.

3. Stir a small amount of the chocolate mixture into the eggs, slowly adding more. Once it is all stirred in, return the mixture to the double boiler and cook for about 3 minutes more, then let stand until it is lukewarm or even cold (putting it in the fridge works great). This is the longest stage of this recipe. When I made it I played a game with some friends while we waited. I recommend doing the same.

4. Mix the cooled chocolate mixture with the cream, vanilla, and almond extract.

5. Freeze the ice cream according to your ice cream maker's instructions. (Our model has a piece the needs to be frozen first. I keep that in the freezer all the time, in case I need to make ice cream in a pinch.) After the ice cream has been frozen in your ice cream maker it is ready to eat, but will be soft like soft serve. If you like harder, firmer ice cream, then put the ice cream in a tupperware and freeze for an hour or so.

6. Enjoy! This would be delicious topped with your favorite toppings, some fresh fruit, or even some crushed almonds and chocolate shavings.



This recipe made more than our ice cream maker could hold, so I made half one night and refrigerated the rest of the unfrozen mixture, which meant that I got to make some ice cream really quickly a few nights ago when I needed some.

This recipe does take longer than most ice cream recipes, since it is a custard and thus requires some boiling and then cooling before going into the ice cream maker. So, make it ahead of time if you're expecting company, or keep the unfrozen mixture in your fridge and pretend to whip it up while the company is distracted and then put it all in the ice cream maker if you feel like they would appreciate the experience of having the ice cream come right from the maker.