Eleven Madison Park Granola

The best restaurant has the best parting gift at the end of the night: granola for the road. And it is super easy to make at home... and infinitely adaptable. I adapted the recipe slightly when I made it last night because I didn't have pumpkin seeds at home but did have pecans that I wanted to add (I would add both next time). It is so delicious and very hard to stop eating. My version is below.

INGREDIENTS
2 3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup shelled pistachios
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup coconut chips/flakes, unsweetened
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt*
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

1 cup sour dried cherries

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, nuts, coconut, pumpkin seeds and salt.

In a small saucepan, over low heat, warm the sugar, maple syrup, and olive oil until the sugar has just dissolved, then remove from heat. Pour liquid sugar mixture over the oat/nut mixture and slowly fold to combine, making sure to coat the dry ingredients well.

Spread the granola on the prepared baking sheet and bake until lightly golden, 35-40 minutes, stirring the granola 2-3 times along the way.

Remove granola from oven and mix into it the dried cherries. Let cool completely before serving and/or storing in an airtight container.

Munch on it plain, or put it over your morning yogurt, or eat it my favorite way, by mixing together 1 cup of cornflakes with 1/3 cup of granola and top with your favorite milk for a semi-homemade Honey Bunches of Oats cereal breakfast.


*EMP's recipe suggests 3 teaspoons of kosher salt. Some reviews online said whoa, this is too salty, and my guess is they weren't using kosher salt. Just in case, I put a tiny bit less in and it was delicious. If you use table salt, make sure you use less than the above recipe suggests, since the grain is finer and thus the same measurement of table salt to kosher salt is saltier.

Chocolate Toffee Matzah Crack

Every year I buy 1 box of matzah to last me the week of Passover. I always have leftovers. I don't like matzah (not that I am supposed to), but if I think of it as a vessel for other delicious things, I am able to enjoy it. I eat it one of two ways: 1) a tiny square of it during seder that I cover with a massive amount of horseradish to clear out my sinuses, and 2) smothered with salty butter, sugar, and chocolate (see above). The first way is really just about the horseradish. The second way is really just about, well, the salty butter, sugar, and chocolate.

Also, my last note: IF YOU DON'T LIKE MATZAH AND/OR AREN'T JEWISH AND/OR ITS NOT PASSOVER MAKE THIS WITH SALTINES OR *CLUB CRACKERS* and eat it year-round. You won't be sorry.

INGREDIENTS
4-5 pieces of matzah
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
Flakey sea salt for sprinkling
Various toppings (chopped roasted nuts, cocoa nibs & toasted coconut work well)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with tin foil and cover the bottom with matzah pieces, trying to cover the whole sheet.

In a medium saucepan, heat together the butter and brown sugar. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 2-3 minutes until thick. Take off the heat and add the salt and vanilla an stir to combine. Pour over the matzah and spread with a spatula- careful, its hot!

Place in the oven and cook for about 10 minutes until nice and bubbly. Remove from oven, place on a cooling rack and sprinkle the chocolate pieces on top. Let sit for 3-5 minutes letting the chocolate melts.

Using a knife or offset spatula spread the chocolate to the edges and then sprinkle with your favorite toppings. Place in refrigerator for about 45 minutes, remove the pieces from the tin foil and cut into squares. Serve and enjoy!

Roasted Chicken & Grapes

Oh mannnn is this chicken good. I've been wanting to make it for a long time and finally did this weekend. I only regret waiting so long. This chicken is perfect: salty crispy skin, juicy flavorful meat, tart and sweet grapes, delicious pan sauce. It would serve beautifully with a side of creamy polenta, although I served it with an amazing Raw and Roasted Carrot and Fennel Salad by Alison Roman because, well, its Passover, and polenta-n-me will have to wait another few days to meet again.
*Recipe from Melissa Clark's most recent cookbook Dinner: Changing the Game, which I highly recommend.

INGREDIENTS
1 spatchcocked chicken, 4-5lb (*see below for how-to-spatchcock-a-chicken)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds, lightly crushed in spice grinder or mortar and pestle
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
16 oz seedless grapes on the stem
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter

In a small bowl mix together the salt, fennel seeds, pepper, lemon zest, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Rub all over the chicken, then place the whole bird, skin side up, on a rimmed baking sheet/roasting pan and let sit on the counter for 1-2 hours.

When you're close to cooking the bird, preheat your oven to 475 degrees F. Transfer the chicken to the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl toss together the grapes with 2 teaspoons of olive oil, the sugar, and some salt and pepper. After the chicken cooks for 20 minutes, remove from oven and place the grapes around the chicken. Put the chicken back in the oven for another 20-25 minutes, until chicken is cooked through, skin is golden brown, and grapes are lightly caramelized. Transfer chicken to cutting board and let sit for a few minutes and remove the grapes from the pan and set aside in a bowl. Keep the pan juices!!

Pour the vinegar into the roasting pan to help scrape up all of the yummy brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour all juices into a small sauce pan and cook over medium heat until lightly boiling. Whisk in the butter and taste for seasonings.

Carve the chicken into pieces and serve with grapes and pan juice on top. Enjoy.

**NOTES**
The recipe calls for a spatchcocked chicken and if you're not sure how to do this don't be intimidated-- its easy. Take a whole chicken (clean and dry) and place it on a cutting board with the neck/backbone facing up. Taking very sharp kitchen shears, cut along either side of the backbone from one end to the other, removing it completely (discard/save for chicken soup). Then flip the bird over onto the cutting board and press down on the breasts, until it slightly flattens and you hear a pop. Ya done spatchcocked a chicken, ya'll!