Some people have ingrained routines where they eat the same thing every day, poop at the same time, and basically live together. I respect that, but I can’t do that. I have a need for something to “shine” by eating tacos one morning, granola the next, and giant apple fritters the next (this episode of my favorite podcast, Hidden Brain I can’t help but say that when I listen to it).
Last year, I worked with Justine Doiron (aka @justine_snacks, aka Queen of Beans) to write the lyrics for her just-released cookbook, Justine Cooks. It was fun! i love her. She cooks the way I want. Super local food, minimal meat, lots of bread and cheese. While we were at work, I made a recipe from her Google Doc. Although cooking from Google Docs is quite tragic. I still can’t help but make her preserved lemons that have become a staple, her tiramisu-style cookies that were a hit with my book club, the breaded beans that really touched my heart…and this granola.
As a crunchy wannabe hippie from Ann Arbor, I love granola (see: Birkenstocks, Grateful Dead, and I don’t mow the lawn). But it’s expensive, so I won’t buy it at the store. Homemade all the way. And I love how it looks in the jar on the counter. It’s like I’m the person who holds a bag of Fritos to my mouth and never cashes in the last crumb. Justine’s granola recipe includes roasted pears, which is super chic, but what I was really here for was the crispy oats coated in Earl Gray-infused butter that filled the house with cookies. Filled with the aroma of baking. It’s comforting and restrained, like a hug from an English grandma. I eat it with yogurt and berries, or as a midnight cereal with milk.
Earl Gray granola with roasted pear
Written by Justine Doiron
(Note from Alex: Not to tell you all about New York Times cooking commentators, but I do mess up recipes based on things I have at home, because after making them a few times, , because it turns out it’s pretty flexible. Here’s Justine’s original recipe with my little annotations in italics:
8 tablespoons salted butter
2 Earl Gray tea bags (or 2 heaped teaspoons of loose-leaf tea blitzed in a spice grinder)
3 medium Bosc pears, cut in half and cored
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons hemp hearts (substitute 1 cup pecans. I know it’s not even, but it works, right? I love nuts)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
diamond crystal kosher salt
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
1/3 cup honey (or maple syrup)
1 large egg white
Milk of your choice, for serving
1. Place two racks evenly spaced in the oven and preheat to 325°F.
2. Place a small saucepan over medium heat and add the butter. Once the butter is completely melted, tear open the tea bag, pour in the tea leaves and swirl to mix. It will start to bubble a little, so turn the heat down to low and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat.
3. Place the two pear halves, cut side up, on the aluminum foil. Pour 1 tablespoon of Earl Gray butter mixture over the cut ends and wrap in the pack, fold side up, being careful to avoid any cuts or holes in the foil. Place on the bottom rack of the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
4. In a large bowl, combine oats, flaxseed meal, pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pour the remaining 5 tablespoons of butter mixture into the bowl, add the vanilla and honey, and mix well. (If you’re not making pears, add all the butter, and if the mixture looks pretty saucy, add up to 1/2 cup of oats, if you want them coated rather than drenched!)
5. Whisk the egg whites in a small bowl. Add it to the bowl with the granola mix and stir until evenly coated.
6. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spread the granola on top. Transfer to the top rack of the oven and bake until golden brown and dry to the touch, 25 to 30 minutes. (I stir after 15 minutes, but keep an eye on it after 25 minutes because the oven gets hot.) Burning the granola is an expensive mistake. )
7. To serve, add half a pear to each bowl and top with a heaping amount of granola and milk. Drizzle with the buttery pear juice left on the foil. Dotted on top of the milk, it’s extremely satisfying.
8. This recipe leaves a little bit of granola, but it can be stored in a cool, dry place for up to a week.
Alex Beggs is a writer and copywriter who lives in Michigan with his partner. Her articles have appeared in Bon Appetit, Elle Decor, and The New York Times. She also writes about her father’s meatloaf, cold cake, and (very) bad hair days in Cup of Jo.
PS Blueberry baked oatmeal and overnight French toast.
Reprinted with permission from Justine Cooks: Recipes (Mostly Plants) for Finding Your Way in the Kitchen by Justine Doiron. Copyright © 2024 by Justine Doiron.Top photo copyright © 2024 by Jim Henkens;2 other photos by Alex Beggs. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.
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