Killer Granola

Are there any granola recipe contests going on out there? Because if so, I want to enter this one. To be fair though, I'd have to give most of the credit to Jeff Jackson at A.R. Valentien, since this is pretty heavily based on his recipe for "Jackson Granola" served at the Lodge at Torrey Pines (I hear they do a mean breakfast, and I wouldn't doubt it.) It's also similar to Alice Waters' Cafe Fanny granola in that it has the sesame seeds, which, as far as I can tell, are otherwise kind of an unusual ingredient in granola.

Chef Jackson's recipe is by weight, which is kind of fun because all you have to do is put a bowl on a scale and keep adding the ingredients, zeroing it out every time - but I always have a hard time measuring the olive oil and honey, since the scale can't keep up as it pours in. More than once I've had to add more dry ingredients to soak up the excess liquid - which isn't really a problem, just a little inconvenient. After a couple of experimental batches that were good but not quite perfect, I came up with this recipe with all of the ingredients measured by volume. I absolutely cannot stop eating the results, which must mean we have a winner. Here it's ready for the oven...

I don't believe in adding any cinnamon or other seasonings - it doesn't even have salt. It gets all the flavor it needs from the sesame seeds, nuts, coconut and honey. If you can't find unsweetened coconut, don't substitute the regular variety - it will be too sweet. I really like the Bob's Red Mill brand - it's wide and thin and bakes up nice and crisp.

This is a great "whole food" snack or breakfast - very nutritious and a great source of energy if you're planning on running a marathon, or say, if you're a growing teenager, but it's not diet food, that's for sure. I like to eat it for breakfast sprinkled over some Siggi's Passionfruit Pomegranate Skyr yogurt. Luckily, a little goes a long way!

Killer Granola
Inspired by Jeff Jackson's "Jackson Granola" for A.R. Valentien at the Torrey Pines Lodge

5 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup oat bran
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 cup whole or slivered raw almonds
1 cup raw unsalted pepitas
1 cup flaked unsweetened coconut (such as Bob's Red Mill)
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup honey
1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup dried currants or raisins*

Set the oven to 225 degrees

Stir together the dry ingredients, up to the honey and olive oil. Pour the honey and olive oil over the mixture and combine with your hands (rub a little olive oil on them to prevent sticking) or a wooden spoon until the honey and olive oil are evenly distributed. (If you like a lot of clumps, add a little more honey and olive oil, proportionately.)

Spread evenly over two half sheet pans. Bake at 225 degrees for 90 minutes. Stir the mixture on the pans and sprinkle them evenly with currants/raisins. Bake for an additional 30 mins. (You don't want it to brown very much - if it looks like it's starting to, take it out.) Granola will crisp as it cools. Cool completely on the pans and store in an airtight container.

*You can also add the dried fruit after it's baked, and you can add other dried fruits like apricot, pineapple, etc. if you want - I just like the way the currants get a little chewy after baking.)

Osteria Mozza Inspired Crostini with Leeks Vinaigrette & Buratta Cheese

A couple of weeks ago, I told you about a great meal we had at Osteria Mozza. So last week, I recreated part of that meal for my monthly supper club - a crostini topped with braised leeks in a mustard vinaigrette, crisp prosciutto, buratta (extra creamy fresh mozzarella) cheese and mustard bread crumbs. I found Nancy Silverton's recipe for the leeks, buratta and breadcrumbs online, and modified it to simplify it a bit and recreate more faithfully what we'd had in the restaurant.

It was still a pretty involved dish, and as I went through all the steps (in my friend Lisa's fabulous newly remodeled kitchen) I wondered if it would really be worth the effort, or if this was one of those restaurant dishes that exists because it can - because there are multiple chefs on hand to make all of the different components. When the guests arrived and it was time to dig in, the answer was clear.

The only thing I'd do differently next time is make twice as many.

Crostini with Leeks Vinaigrette, Burrata, Prosciutto and Mustard Bread Crumbs
adapted from Nancy Silverton and Osteria Mozza - serves 8

Vinaigrette
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. finely chopped shallot (or 1/2 a garlic clove, in a pinch)
1/4 tsp. salt
few grinds of pepper
3 tsp. whole-grain Dijon mustard ( or 2 tsp regular)
1/4-1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Mustard Bread Crumbs
2 tsp. whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 tsp. dry white wine
2 tsp. canola or olive oil
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 Tbsp finely chopped parsley

Braised Leeks
4 large leeks (at least 1 inch thick)
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
¾ cup low-sodium chicken stock
½ lemon, cut into ⅛-inch-thick slices
6 thyme branches
Coarse salt

4 balls of fresh burrata or mozzarella in whey, cut into 16 1/2 inch thick slices.
3 thin slices of prosciutto or speck

1 baguette, thinly sliced on the diagonal.

Prepare the leeks:
Preheat the oven to 375. Wash the leeks well, trim the dark green and root portions, and cut each one into pieces about 2 1/2 inches long, then split in half lengthwise to form four pieces. Remove the tough outermost layers and place the pieces flat side down in a 9 inch square baking dish, crowded together (it's important that they're crowded.) Drizzle the olive oil and chicken broth over the top, lay the thyme branches and lemon slices over the leeks and season with a little sea salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cover the pan tightly with foil and roast for 25 minutes. Remove the cover and roast for 15-20 mins more, until the leeks are tender and just a little juice remains in the pan. If the outer layer is still tough after baking, remove it. (If you do this, drizzle with a little lemon juice and add a couple grinds of pepper and a sprinkle of salt.) Set aside to cool.

while the leeks are in the oven...

make the vinaigrette:
Whisk together all ingredients except the olive oil. Slowly drizzle the oil in, whisking continuously. (Taste after 1/4 cup and add more as needed.)

when the leeks come out of the oven...

make the breadcrumbs:
heat the oven to 300. In a small bowl, stir together all ingredients except the parsley. Spread on a sheet of aluminum foil and bake until dry and crisp but not browned - about 10-15 minutes. Using the foil, pick up the crumbs and pour back into a bowl. Stir to crush any lumps with a fork or your fingers and when cool, stir in the finely chopped parsley.

then toast the bread:
heat the oven to 400. Arrange baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast lightly for about 5 minutes.

and the prosciutto:
turn the oven up to broil and place the prosciutto or speck slices on a sheet of foil
Watching carefully, bake about 2-3 minutes, just until dry and slightly crisp. Tear into pieces about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide.

When the leeks are still slightly warm, spoon the mustard vinaigrette liberally over them in the pan. (You may have some left over. In fact, it's not a bad idea to multiply the recipe and have a lot left over - it comes in pretty handy!)

To assemble the crostini:
Place the toasted baguette slices on a serving platter. Place one leek slice on each piece, flat side down, and top with a piece of prosciutto. Lay the buratta slices on top of the prosciutto. Sprinkle the cheese liberally with the mustard breadcrumbs and top each one with a couple of drops of aged balsamic vinegar.

e Mangia!

Portland Part III - Beast and Pearl Bakery

Though we had moved to the Ace downtown, come dinnertime on our second day in town, we headed back to Concordia for some cocktails at the Kennedy School and our dinner reservation at Beast. Some friends of ours had arrived that day, and we wanted to show them what we'd enjoyed the night before. We had cocktails in the courtyard before dinner made with fresh citrus juice and McMenamin's house-distilled Penney's Gin, and went back after dinner for a few games of tabletop shuffleboard and pool in the Boiler Room.

Dinner at Beast was interesting. It's a set meal - no choices and no substitutions - served in a small dining room that feels like an eat-in kitchen. The two tables are communal, but they weren't full on the evening we were there, so the room never really developed that nice convivial buzz you might expect. We chatted politely with another couple seated near us, but many of the seats around us were empty. I'm also not sure that an expensive meal should be eaten at a communal table, but that's a different discussion for another day...


The food at Beast is a bit more rustic than true fine dining, but the flavors and whimsy make up for whatever refinement might be missing. We couldn't help comparing it to DOC, and while I do think the food was a touch better at Beast overall, we enjoyed our experience at DOC more. The service at Beast was perfunctory, since there were no recommendations or choices to be made. Prescribed wine pairings were read off without much passion or interest, and plates were dropped off full and collected empty like they would be at a catered banquet. We enjoyed the interaction with our server at DOC - having each dish explained, each wine described.

The gazpacho-like cold tomato soup was exquisite though, and the charcuterie plate, with it's beautiful, elaborate circular plating, (I wish I'd managed to take a good photo) was worth the trip in and of itself. Each item is prepared as a composed bite, and they tell you how to eat your way around the plate, finishing with the "foie gras bon bon" which melts in your mouth like a mini dessert course. My lamb was perfectly medium rare, and was served with very complimentary mediterranean side dishes. The palate cleanser was a nice touch, and the caesar style salad had a well-balanced dressing on it. Things start to get a little hazy around dessert (even though I couldn't keep up with the wine pairings) but it wasn't memorable in a bad way - I can say that at least.

The next morning, we decided to stop at Pearl Bakery for a breakfast pastry road picnic, which we ate in the car on our way out to Multnomah Falls. I've been hearing about this place for quite a while, and being a big fan of breakfast pastries in general, I was eager to give it a try.

We bought a few things, including a giant square cinnamon roll, the beautiful fruit danish pictured above, scones, etc. They were all excellent, if a little messy (good thing it was a rental) and fortified us well for our trip to Multnomah Falls - about thirty minutes outside of Portland on the Columbia River Gorge scenic highway.


It might not look like much, but that little hike to the top is a killer, with 11 switchbacks you can count on numbered signs. The falls themselves are spectacular though, and the viewing platform from the top offers an incomparable view, right down over the edge of the roaring water and across the Columbia River Gorge.

On the way back from the falls, we stopped at McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale. On the site of an early 1900's "Poor Farm," it's one of their flagship properties - a 74 acre resort spread out over several buildings - with a spa, golf course, restaurants and multiple bars, including the Little Red Shed. They do concerts and outdoor movies in the summer, and have beautiful gardens for exploring. It would be a great place for a wedding, family reunion or get together with friends, since you'd never have to leave the place. They also have their distillery on site there. We picked up a few bottles of their Penney's Gin and Alembic Brandy to take home. It's the only place you can buy it because they're not a licensed distributor.


Beast
5425 NE 30th Ave
Portland, Oregon 97211
(503) 841-6968

Pearl Bakery
102 NW 9th Ave
Portland, OR 97209
(503) 827-0910

McMenamins Edgefield
2126 SW Halsey St
Troutdale, OR 97060
(503) 669-8610