Sunday Granola

A Sunday Kind of Breakfast

“I want a Sunday kind of love…One that lasts past Saturday night… When those Mondays and Tuesdays grow cold…and I need a love for all my life…”

Ella Fitzgerald wanted love;  The kind of love that lasts through bad hair days and utility bills. I am lucky to have my Sunday kind of love, but now what I really need is a Sunday kind of breakfast.  You know, for those mornings when I wake before the sun, and my Sunday love blinks sleepily at me from bed.

On my favorite mornings, eggs sizzle on the skillet. A preliminary glass of O.J. sits next to the stove. Two minutes up, French press knob down.  Eggs finish cooking as the toast pops up.  Newspaper open to the crossword puzzle while a sharpened pencil stands by.

Alas, we can’t always have such leisurely mornings, so let’s meet in the middle;  somewhere between “grab an apple and run,” and “luxuriate at the kitchen table with a frittata and a mimosa”.

Enter granola.  You’ll make it on a Sunday, wearing your favorite slippers.  Your entire house will smell like an apple crisp; nutty and laced with brown sugar and cinnamon.

Come Monday, your alarm will sound and a hint of sweet and spice will still be in the air, to remind you that your breakfast awaits.  There may not be crossword puzzles, or fluffy eggs over toast, but there will be granola…and that just may be enough to help you through to your next leisurely Sunday.

Sunday Granola

Adapted from Neal Fraser’s Fruit and Nut Packed Granola, via Food and Wine

I eat my granola simply, with almond milk.  If I feel fancy, I’ll put it over yogurt with fresh blueberries and honey.

• 1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/3 (packed)  cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 3/4 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup finely grated unsweetened coconut
• 3 cups (12 ounces)  raw unsalted nuts (I use 3 oz each of unsalted pistachios, cashews, pecans, and sliced almonds)
• 2 cups (10 ounces) mixed dried fruit, such as golden raisins, cranberries, blueberries, cherries, apple, etc…
• 1 cup fresh orange juice

Preheat the oven to 275˚.  Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt.  Simmer until the butter is melted and the brown sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, shredded coconut and nuts.  Add the brown sugar mixture and stir to thoroughly coat.  Spread the granola on the baking sheets and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes (or until a deep golden color), stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, combine the dried fruit and orange juice in a medium bowl and let stand until fruit is plumped, about an hour.  Drain the fruit in a strainer, pressing down the fruit to remove excess juice.  Discard the liquid.  Stir the fruit into the granola on the baking sheet.  Bake for an additional five minutes.

Let the granola cool completely.  It will crisp up as it cools.  After cooling, the granola can be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks.  To re-crisp, bake in a 275˚ oven for 15 minutes.