AUTUMN BREAKFAST PORRIDGE

For me, fall feels official after we've had our first fire in the fireplace. I love long summer days, but sitting around with friends, chatting by the warmth of a fire on a dark evening makes saying goodbye to summer okay by me.

Autumn mornings are another story. There's something painful about dragging ourselves from bed before the sun rises. We all need a little extra help to wake our sleepy bellies and eating something warm and cozy like this oatmeal does help to put all of us in a good mood for the day. (I must confess that I also need a few cups of really strong coffee to get myself going!)

What's your morning routine these days?

My Baba was big into a warm bowl of Cream of Wheat in the morning. Even though wheat is no longer part of my life, I still like a hearty bowl of warm grains. Baba always chopped up dates and tossed them into the bowl - this tradition I happily continue. The carmely dates add a nice chewy, sweet bite and I like to add a few other of my favorite goodies to the mix. Slices of ripe juicy pears, toasted hazelnuts, along with cream and maple syrup, transform a simple bowl of oats into a full meal packed with complex flavor, texture, nourishment, and comfort - a very good was to start the day.

Pears are ridiculously good this time of year and I'm eating them every which way I can. How about you?

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

Rhubarb. Strawberries. Hazelnuts.

I am seeing a theme in my recent dessert cravings: first, Rhubarb Compote; then, Hazelnut Cake with strawberries; and now Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble with hazelnuts in the topping. Eating seasonally means you figure out endless ways to work with certain ingredients that are abundant at the moment. We indulge in these just-ripe treasures until we can eat no more.

Lucero Strawberries are such a treat to see at the farmer's market after the long rainy months. P went wild and bought a flat for brunch with our friends Shana, Tony, Cleo, and Judah. After the eight of us stuffed our faces with the sweet berries, we had enough left over to make this crumble and some tasty strawberry preserves with thyme and lemon. (I'll share that recipe with you next week.)

When it comes to crisps and crumbles, I am usually a purist. I stay away from oats and nuts in the topping. However, the strawberry rhubarb crumble recipe from this month's Bon Appetit drew me in. The unexpected crunch of hazelnut is delectable. I'm a convert.


INGREDIENTS 
 adapted from Tamsen Day Lewis's recipe in Bon Appetit, May 2010

• 3/4 cups flour (GF Folks, I suggest Pamela's Bread and Flour Blend)
• 2/3 cup vanilla sugar (see notes)
• large pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup light agave nectar
• 6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 chunks
• 1/2 cup oats ( GF folks, try Bob's Red Mill)
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts
• 4 cups strawberries
• 12 ounces rhubarb
• vanilla ice cream or heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400. Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet in hot oven for about 10 minutes until nuts are lightly toasted and the skins are blistered. Remove from oven and put nuts in a dish towel. Rub to remove skins. Then coarsely chop and set aside.

Turn oven down to 375. Lightly butter 11x7 baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, vanilla sugar, and salt. Add butter and use your fingertips to integrate the ingredients. When the mixture is sticking together in clumps, add the oats and chopped hazelnuts. Cover and chill.

Trim and slice rhubarb. Cut strawberries in half. Place in the baking dish. Pour agave over the top of strawberries and rhubarb. Gently toss together.

Distribute topping over the strawberries and rhubarb. Bake for 45 minutes until fruit is bubbling and top is a golden brown.

Let cool for 15 minutes and the fruit juices will thicken.  You can't go wrong with a warm serving of crumble with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you have leftovers, eat some for breakfast with heavy cream poured over the top. Go ahead, it's good.

Momofuku's Crack Pie... Gluten Free?

The food world has been buzzing about this totally decadent dessert recipe from Momofuku's Milk Bar in New York. The name and the drool-worthy descriptions of the pie drew me in. I wondered, would it work without wheat? I can tell you, the answer is a resounding, YES.

I warn you that Crack Pie, with its gooey, butterscotchy, salty, caramely, butter-cookie goodness, is as addictive as its name suggests. P, the kids, and I got a little crazed with our Crack Pie jonze and we all found ourselves chanting, "More Crack Pie! More Crack Pie!"


MOMOFUKU CRACK PIE
from the Los Angeles Times


The LA Times recipe calls for two 9 or 10 inch pie pans. I couldn't quite stretch the crust to fill two pie pans, so I used one 9x13 inch ceramic baking dish instead.

First you need to make Cookies for the crust:

COOKIES 

• 2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour ( for GF folks, I used Pamela's brilliant bread and flour mix)
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup rolled oats (GF folks: Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oats)

Preheat oven to 375.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into medium mixing bowl.

In a larger bowl, or your standing mixer with the paddle attachment, beat sugar, brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat until incorporated.

Continue mixing while slowly adding dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Then gently fold in oats.

Spread batter into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake until golden brown and set. About 20 minutes. Let cool on a rack. Then crumble cookie to use for the crust.



CRUST

• Cookies (see above)
• 1/4 cup butter ( I had to add another tablespoon of butter to make the crust stick together)
• 1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Mix crumbled cookies, brown sugar, butter, and salt in a food processor. If you use a blender, do a few smaller batches by pulsing to grind until evenly blended. The mixture should hold together when squeezed between your fingers. Then press the crust into your pie tins/baking dish. Set aside.



FILLING

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon milk powder
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 ( yes 8!) egg yokes
• powdered sugar for garnish

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, whisk sugar, brown sugar, salt and milk powder. Add melted butter, then whisk in heavy cream.

Add vanilla and whisk in egg yokes gently so you don't add too much air.

Pour filling into the pie shell(s).

Bake for 15 minutes. Then reduce heat to 325 and bake until the center is giggly (but not runny) and golden brown, about 10 more minutes. Remove and let cool on a rack.

The pastry chefs at Milk Bar refrigerate the pie until completely chilled before serving. I tried the pie cold and also slightly warm. I think I preferred warm. Either way.... dust with a little powdered sugar and you are in for a treat!

 Look at that gooey caramely center.... You're jonzing too aren't you?

Chewy Granola with Cranberries and Almonds

My mom makes the best.....

We are all familiar with this age-old cliche, but it's really true here. My mom's freshly baked granola is the best. Chewy, crunchy, toasty, with lots of honey - it is heavenly. It has been years since my mom made this granola, but I still crave it.

During a recent granola jones, I called mom to see if I could get my hands on her old recipe. Sadly, it was tossed out in her recent move. She tried to remember ingredients.... dry milk powder, sesame seeds.... bake at 275?... With these cryptic clues, I began a determined quest to recreate her granola. Cooking with a scientific approach is not my thing - I am more the improvisational, intuitive type in the kitchen. But on this quest, I adjusting measurements with the extreme precision of a lab technician.  I read countless recipes. I baked many, many batches of not-quite-right granola taking copious detailed notes along the way. Finally, I got it.

There are so many variations to be enjoyed with the basic granola foundation: skip the coconut oil and substitute with more butter and safflower oil; use pecans or walnuts in place of the almonds; try sultanas instead of dried cranberries; leave out the shredded coconut, or sunflower seeds, or whatever tidbit is not to your liking. Have fun and enjoy your own granola.  I'd love to hear about any great variations you discover.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup almond slivers
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup flour (GF folks: Pamela's Bread and Flour Mix)
• 1/2 cup dry milk powder
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted or at least softened
• 2 tablespoons raw organic coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons safflower oil
• 2/3 cup honey
• 2 1/2 cup oats (GF folks: be sure to use certified GF oats) 
• pinch of sea salt

Preheat oven to 275.

Mix all ingredients until well integrated.

Pour granola mixture onto a baking sheet. Don't spread it out too much, keep it clumped together near the center of the pan. (I put my oven rack close to the top of the oven so that the bottom doesn't brown too quickly.) Bake for 20 minutes.

Then take out granola, mix and spread out more evenly over the entire baking pan. But don't break up the clumps too much, we want those chewy clusters later. Bake another 8-10 minutes, mix granola again to insure even browning.

Bake 8 -10 more minutes and you should be ready. The granola should be only golden brown, not too dark. Try to wait until it is cooled before indulging in a bowl. As the granola cools its wonderful texture emerges, becoming chewy and delicious.

If you are willing to part with a little granola, pack up a jar or two and share with friends.

Aunt Nita's Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies are magical.

Six years ago, the day after Lilah was born, Eurydice brought over a batch of these dreamy cookies. Paul, my mom, and I were baffled by their deliciousness. What is in these? We kept asking each other, as we ate cookie after cookie. They have an oat-y chewiness, yet grains of Turbinado give a sugary crunch.

Every time we bake these cookies, Paul shovels them in Cookie Monster-style and chants “Oh Aunt Nita” like a mad man. They are that good.

Eurydice is letting me share Aunt Nita’s recipe with you.

Ingredients

• 2 cubes salted butter, room temp
• 1 ½ cup Turbinado sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 ½ cup oatmeal (I use Bob’s Red Mill GF Rolled Oats)
• 1 ½ cup flaked, unsweetened coconut
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 cups flour (I use 1 3/4 cup Pamela’s Pancake Baking and Pancake Mix )
• 1 tsp baking powder (not necessary with Pamela''s Mix)
• 1 tsp baking soda (not necessary with Pamela's Mix)
• 1 tsp salt (not necessary with Pamela's Mix)

Preheat oven to 375.

Cream butter and sugar (I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to use Turbinado). Let sit 10 minutes.

Add eggs and vanilla to sugar/ butter mixture.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gluten-free folks, just use 1 3/4 cup Pamela’s Baking Mix as a substitute for all of these dry ingredients. Add flour mixture to wet mix, gradually stirring to gently incorporate ingredients.

Fold in oats, nuts, and coconut by hand.

Bake for 9-12 minutes, only until golden. Enjoy!