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I know that I've posted about making my own granola and granola bars before, but I swear I'm not slacking (well, today anyway) by just cobbling together old posts. The cool thing about making your own granola/bars is that you can customize the recipes according to your tastes. Don't like almonds? Use cashews. Want more coconut? Add it. It's not an exact science. I made these granola bars today for a healthy snack at work (don't ask) and I have to say that I got 100% positive feedback. Some people are even hoarding the extras for tomorrow's breakfast. But I guess it's not really considered hoarding if you're actually going to consume what you're hoarding, right? I mean, that's probably another show altogether...
Golden Granola Bars
(adapted from The Ski House Cookbook)
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Preheat the oven to 325° F. Combine the sugar, honey, and oil in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat just until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Combine the oats, wheat germ, coconut, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and salt in large bowl. Pour the sugar mixture over the oat mixture and stir to combine. Spread in a 9 x 13-inch pan and press evenly.
3. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting into bars. Cool completely before removing the bars from the pan. Makes about 20 bars.
Am I the only one still holding onto old mix tapes? (And by tapes, I mean cassettes.) I've tried to replicate them by creating identical playlists in iTunes, but the perfect recordings and smooth segues lack that perfectly amateur quality of songs getting cut off and the clunking sound of the recorder buttons being pressed.
I have a cassette copy of The Cure's Mixed Up and I think that an iTunes purchase would be acceptable (in my own mind) because my cassette shockingly isn't a recording of a recording of a recording. In honor of my purchase (and because I can think of no other transition) I've whipped up a pile of toasted mixed nuts to snack on. That, and I have to study for my wine exam and need sustenance.
Making any kind of spiced nut mixture generally requires using some melted butter or oil mixed in with sugar and spices. This recipe uses an egg white to distribute the seasonings so you don't even have to add any additional fat. So they're kind of low fat...in a mixed up sort of way.
Spiced Mixed Up Nuts
(Adapted from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook)
1 large egg white
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 1/2 cups pecan halves, cashews, walnuts, almonds
1. Preheat the oven to 300˚F. In a large bowl, beat the egg white until foamy. Combine all the remaining ingredients, except the nuts, and whisk into the egg white. Stir in the nuts until well coated. Spread the mixture in single layer on an ungreased baking pan.
2. Bake the nuts for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven. Using a metal spatula, toss, stir, and separate nuts. Reduce the heat to 250˚F and return the nuts to bake until medium brown, about 10 minutes more.
3. Remove the nuts from the oven. Toss and stir again. Place the baking pan on wire rack to cool (they will crisp as they cool). Break up any nuts that stick together. Store in an airtight container, at room temperature, up to 2 weeks. Makes 2 1/2 cups.
I discovered something this weekend. I am not a candy maker! I tried to make a chocolate salted caramel recipe. Burned. Took me 12 hours to get the blackened chocolate caramel carbon off my pot. (FYI: If you ever think that your pot is beyond help, cover your pan with baking soda, add a couple dashes of hydrogen peroxide and vinegar, a drop of dish soap, and then cover with about 2 inches of water. Boil, watching that the foam created doesn't bubble over. I did this about 3 times and the blackened residue finally loosened and I was able to scrape it away.)
I turned my attention to toffee. Burned that too! (Check out the color of the burned toffee below). I blame it all on my candy thermometer. I had never used one before so figured that all I had to do was watch the numbers on the thermometer and I'd be fine. That's all good if your thermometer works! I should have just been watching what I was doing and I would NOT have ruined two batches of candy. Instead I watched as the color went beyond what it should have, all because the thermometer wasn't registering the temperature accurately. (And my apartment now smells like a burnt marshmallow at a campfire!) I think that the thermometer wasn't fully submerged in the toffee goo. Hey, I was just worried about it touching the bottom of the pot and registering too hot. Whatevs. I finally managed to salvage a little pride with my second batch.
Burnt Toffee
I'm planning to make a little something sweet every day this week, hopefully without any more mishaps. But then again, learning from my mistakes will help make my recipes fool proof. I know that I always talk about how much I love dark chocolate. "Milk chocolate is too sweet. Hard candy is too sweet." Blah blah blah. But toffee is one of those sweets that I can not stop eating. Bundle this toffee in a cool box with a groovy bow and you'll have plenty of gifts to give. But please do not make this and give it to me because I will eat it all in one sitting. But then again, I would really appreciate it.
Almond Toffee
(Adapted from Family Circle)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 cup chopped almonds, plus 1/4 cup finely chopped almonds for garnish
12 ounces milk chocolate chips (or 12 ounces chocolate bars, chopped)
1. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick foil or regular foil coated with a nonstick spray or softened butter. Place a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the butter, sugar, corn syrup, and 2 tablespoons of water. Stir together until the butter is completely melted. Increase the heat to medium-high and insert a candy thermometer.
2. Cook the mixture, without stirring, until golden brown and the temperature reaches 300˚F, about 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove the thermometer. Carefully stir in the 1 cup of chopped almonds.
3. Quickly pour the toffee into the prepared pan and spread to the edges. Let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
4. Melt half of the chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in the microwave. Stir until smooth. Spread evenly over the top of the cooled toffee. Sprinkle with half of the finely chopped almonds. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.
5. Once firm, flip the entire bar over onto a sheet of waxed paper. Remove the foil. Melt the remaining chocolate and stir until smooth. Spread over the second side of the toffee bar and sprinkle with the remaining finely chopped almonds. Using the waxed paper, slide the toffee bar back into the baking pan and refrigerate for 20 minutes more.
6. Once the chocolate is firm, break the bar into pieces. Store in an airtight container, preferably in the refrigerator, for up to 3 weeks. Makes about 2 pounds of toffee.
Recently a friend of mine asked me about alternative recipes to make for Thanksgiving that wouldn't leave you feeling like a "fat bastard" after. That got me to thinking: Is it the recipes that make you feel like a fat bastard or just how much of those recipes you shovel into your mouth? I'm thinking both, but I also think that that stuffed, sleepy feeling you feel after eating Thanksgiving dinner is more a result of a carb extravaganza overload (rolls, stuffing, mashed potatoes...) than from the trace amounts of trypotophan that you ingest from eating one or two slices of turkey. And then there's the wine. I mean, c'mon.
I came across this quinoa recipe in Food & Wine recently and actually thought that it could be a great alternative to stuffing. I've made quinoa before but always in a vegetarian context. Although I've always I liked it, I've felt that my recipes were lacking something. Hello! Just add bacon, Tina! Duh. Suddenly quinoa has taken on a whole new dimension for me. Not only is it high in protein, full of amino acids, magnesium, and iron, cooked with bacon it is delicious! And since quinoa is not a true grain (it's considered a pseudocereal more closely related to spinach or beets) and it's so healthy, you won't pass out from a fat bastard Thanksgiving coma. Well, maybe skip the appetizers just to be safe. And maybe the mashed potatoes and gravy. And the pecan pie...
Quinoa with Bacon and Almonds
(Adapted from Food & Wine)
1/3 cup sliced almonds
4 slices bacon (preferrably thick sliced), diced
1 small shallot (or garlic clove), minced
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups chicken stock
1 sage sprig
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Heat a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add the almonds and toast, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Let cool.
2. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until the fat has rendered and the bacon is starting to crisp, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove half of the bacon and set aside.
3. Add the shallot (and/or garlic) to the remaining bacon in the saucepan and cook, until softened but not browned, about 1 minute. Add the quinoa, stock, and sage and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat until the stock has been absorbed, 15 - 20 minutes. Remove the quinoa from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Discard the sage and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Stir in the parsley, toasted almonds, and reserved cooked bacon. Add salt an pepper to taste. Serves 4 as a side dish.
OK. I'm back from vacation, extremely well rested, slightly tanned, and moderately well read (completing Twilight and New Moon in one vacay may be a lot of reading, but not particularly challenging). There's nothing like a little tropical beach time to help you forget the daily doldrums.
Actually it wasn't that long ago that I took a staycation (just trying to use all of my vacation days by the end of the year!) and spent my days furiously baking as you might recall here, here, and here. I also hosted a mini-wine tasting party with my friends Megan and Bella. I couldn't decide what I was going to make or pour until the last minute, so my pairings were a little off, but it's the thought that counts! (And there were only three of us so it's not like we could taste 6 different 2001 Cabs...only to not finish them all!)
In the end I decided to serve the wine as you might over the course of a dinner. I started with Prosecco, moved on to Sauvignon Blanc, and then ended with a Rosso di Montepulciano (NOT d'Abruzzo...I'll explain the difference later). I also provided food that might work well with each.
Nino Franco Prosecco Rustico Brut NVI LOVE BUBBLY. Prosecco, Cava, or Champagne hold nearly equal places in my heart, but Prosecco is a favorite for the price, quality, and availability. Generally I buy Prosecco from the Mionetto winery, but I recalled having another that was also very good from the Nino Franco winery so decided to try it again (both are from the Prosecco making region of Veneto called Valdobbiadene). It was delish! With hints of apple, pear, and white peach and a crisp acidity, it's the perfect apertif. Or perfect anytime drink really. And I just learned that Nino Franco is the original Prosecco, first served at Harry's Bar in Venice in the early 20th century. Mix it with white peach juice for an authentic Bellini.
Unlike most people who prefer sweets (or assume that you must serve them) with their bubbles, I prefer salty snacks with mine. (For the record, I can't stand when chocolate covered strawberries are served with Champagne. Just give me the Champagne.) Fortunately, I found a great recipe for spicy almonds that would be a great bar snack anywhere. (I also served cheese straws made from puff pastry, cayenne, and Parmesan - but I forgot to take a proper photo - so just buy them at your local gourmet store :). Cheers! 
Roasted Spiced Almonds
(Adapted from Bon Appétit)
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound whole blanched almonds
Kosher salt
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the crushed red pepper and black pepper and stir to distribute evenly in the skillet. Add the almonds and stir to coat with the oil-pepper mixture.
2. Cook until the almonds begin to darken slightly and the mixture is fragrant, stirring frequently (do not walk away), about 8 minutes. Transfer the mixture to rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with coarse salt. Cool completely. Makes about 3 cups.
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