Oatmeal with Blueberries and Toasted Pistachios

I’ve been quite lazy recently, especially when it comes to breakfast.  Hence, I’ve been experimenting and toying with various recipes, all of which did not involve much cooking but packed lots of flavor.  Yep...this summer, I’ve been munching on easy, clean, fast breakfast and sweet concoctions.  And this Oatmeal with Blueberries and Toasted Pistachios is no exception.

This recipe will take you only fifteen minutes to whip up, just slightly longer than this other morning favorite of mine, but I assure you it’s well worth it.  I love the warm and creamy oatmeal that gets soaked in a sweet and tangy homemade-like jam of bright blueberries, and is topped with roasted pistachios, while the cinnamon-sugar adds a spicy and crunchy finishing touch.  The whole combination is deeply colorful, toothsome and way more satisfying than its individual parts might suggest.  It will keep you sated for hours. 

I also love the versatility of this recipe.  You can vary it and customize it to your liking.  No blueberries?  No problem.  Use blackberries or raspberries, or a mix, or frozen berries.  Something tells me that even plums would work wonders.  Substitute pistachios with sliced almonds or walnuts.  And if you’re an almond milk fanatic, even better, use that instead of whole milk; its nutty flavor pairs really well with the oatmeal and brings that protein boost to your bowl.  You don’t fancy the creaminess, boil the oatmeal in water; no biggie.  I’m telling you, you won’t get bored easily with this dish.  Enjoy! 

Oatmeal with Blueberries and Toasted Pistachios

By Simply Romanesco inspired by Food & Wine (June 2015) and Giada’s Feel Good Food by Giada De Laurentiis

Makes: 2 servings

Ingredients:

·         2 Tablespoon pistachios, unsalted and roasted (sliced toasted almonds or chopped walnuts also work well)

·         1 cup whole milk (unsweetened almond milk will work wonders too)

·         Pinch of kosher salt

·         ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

·         ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats

·         2 heaped Tablespoons sugar

·         ½ teaspoon cinnamon

·         1 cup blueberries (or a mix of berries)

Instructions:

In a small bowl, combine the sugar and the cinnamon and mix well.

If you can’t find roasted and unsalted pistachios at the grocery store, lightly toast them in a dry small skillet over medium-low heat, tossing often, until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes.  Transfer them to a plate.  

In a medium saucepan, bring the milk, the pinch of salt and vanilla extract to a boil over medium heat.  Add the oats and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until thickened, about 6-8 minutes.  I like my oatmeal creamier, so I take it off the heat after about 6 minutes.  Spoon the oatmeal into two bowls or jars or glasses.

In the same saucepan, add the blueberries and sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon of the cinnamon-sugar.  Heat up the blueberries over medium-low heat until juicy and soft and some of them burst, about 5-7 minutes.

Spoon the berry sauce over the oatmeal, top with pistachios, and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.

Poftă Bună! (Bon Appétit!)

Blueberry-Pistachio Galette

What do you do when you have heaps of blueberries and you don’t know what to do with them before they go old, wrinkly and mushy?  You toss them all into a glorious, summery galette, which is just a fancy French word to describe a free-form crusty cake.

This Blueberry-Pistachio Galette is rustic, unpretentious and slightly sloppy, so don’t worry if the dough breaks while baking and the filling oozes out a bit.  Sometimes I feel that the messier this galette looks the more beautiful it is, not to mention mighty tasty.  You basically have sweet, juicy blueberries encased into a rich, crisp crust.  I only used sugar for the finishing touch before popping the galette in the oven, but if you want to take it a step further, gently press a few sliced almonds into the crust and then sprinkle with sugar for that extra bite and crunch.  

This is by far one of the easiest desserts you’ll ever make and it’s a great stepping stone for novice bakers.  Serve it on its own or with a generous dollop of vanilla ice cream right on top to gently melt into the hot, bubbly blueberries.  So, don’t waste any more time and grab some blueberries, blackberries or even strawberries and start baking.   

Last weekend, Adrian and I had the pleasure to attend a fabulous wedding in our beloved Boston.  And I’d like to dedicate this galette to my best friend Rachel, the gorgeous bride, who loves blueberries, cooking, wine, the pink color, opera, and her husband Andi above all.  I feel so happy and privileged to have been a part of their special day!  It was a truly amazing, sophisticated and unforgettable wedding topped with an elegant layer cake of silky, lemony goodness dotted with bright blueberries, and a smooth, stripy tiramisu deliciousness.  Damn, that cake was good and the wedding was even better!  Casă de piatră!

Blueberry-Pistachio Galette

Adapted from Bon Appétit (July 2015)

Makes: 10 servings

Ingredients for the Dough:

·         ½ cup pistachios, toasted (pecans or almonds also work well)

·         1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

·         1 Tablespoon sugar

·         ½ teaspoon kosher salt

·         ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

·         ½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Ingredients for the Filling and Assembly:

·         12 oz. blueberries (about 2 cups)

·         1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

·         1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice

·         ¼ cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling

·         All-purpose flour (for the surface)

·         2 Tablespoons milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream

Instructions for the Dough:

If you can’t find the already roasted pistachios, preheat the oven to 350° F.  Toast the pistachios on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until fragrant and slightly darkened, about 10-15 minutes; let cool.  

Pulse the pistachios in a food processor until the consistency of coarse meal.  Add the flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon and pulse just to combine.  Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal with a few pea-size pieces remaining.

Transfer to a large bowl; drizzle with 4 Tablespoons of ice water and mix, adding another Tablespoon of water if needed, just until the mixture comes together.  Gently pat the dough into a 6” – diameter disk.  Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour. 

Do ahead:  the dough can be made 2 days ahead.  Keep chilled, or freeze up to 1 month.

Instructions for the Filling and Assembly:

Preheat the oven to 375° F.  Toss the blueberries, flour, lemon juice, and ¼ cup of sugar in a large bowl. 

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12” round.  Carefully transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Mound the blueberries in the center of the dough, leaving a 2” border.  Fold the edges over, overlapping slightly.  Brush the dough with milk and sprinkle with sugar.  

Bake the galette until the crust is dark golden-brown and the filling is bubbling, about 45-50 minutes.  Let the galette cool before serving.

Do ahead: the galette can be baked 1 day ahead.  Store the galette tightly wrapped at room temperature.

Poftă Bună! (Bon Appétit!)

Lemon Cake with Berries and Pistachios

When your husband goes away on a weekend-long trip with the boys, sleeping in until noon, catching up on your reading and finally getting to that tardy spring cleaning suddenly feels like the right thing to do... and so therapeutic!  As the exemplary wife I try to be, I just couldn’t send my husband empty-handed on his getaway trip with the guys.  So, besides the usual snack-type and finger food, I also added this summery, berry studded Lemon Cake with Berries and Pistachios, which turned out to be a big hit!  

Since summer is a joyous fruit bonanza, juicy sweets are inevitably a must.  When I stumbled upon this Lemon Cake with Berries and Pistachios recipe while thumbing through the June issue of Bon Appétit, I instantly knew I wanted to make it and take advantage of the bright, fresh berries that abound at the markets these days.  The initial recipe called only for raspberries, but I feel that a mixture of berries enhances the texture and adds a vivid color to this blissful cake. 
  

    

This lemon cake is tender and zesty, citrusy and sweet, crunchy and toasty.  The fragile berries work wonderfully nestled in atop the lightly dense batter, while the fruity olive oil complements the lemony sweetness of the cake.  And the nuttiness of the pistachios completes the delightful circle.  This cake sounds, looks and tastes a lot like summer and comes just in time to celebrate the season’s last gasp.  The best part of this sweet treat is that it’s great for dessert and even better for breakfast or brunch, late afternoon snack, or a lovely picnic in the late summer heat.

Lemon Cake with Berries and Pistachios

Adapted from Bon Appétit (June 2014)

Makes: 8 servings

Ingredients:

·         Butter for the pan

·         1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan

·         1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

·         ¼ teaspoon salt

·         4 large eggs, at room temperature

·         1 ¼ cups plus 2 Tablespoons sugar, divided

·         2 teaspoons vanilla extract

·         2 Tablespoons finely grated lemon zest

·         1 Tablespoon plus ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

·         ¾ cup olive oil

·         ½ cup fresh raspberries

·         ½ cup fresh blueberries

·         3 Tablespoons toasted pistachios, chopped

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350º F.  Butter and flour a 9-inch diameter springform or cake pan (personally, I think that a springform works better).  Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and 1 cup of sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.  With the mixer running, add the vanilla extract and 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, then gradually add the oil, mixing just until combined.  Fold in the lemon zest and the dry ingredients.

 

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Scatter the berries over the cake, then the pistachios and 2 Tablespoons of sugar.  Bake the cake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 45-55 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring the remaining ¼ cup of sugar and the remaining ¼ cup of lemon juice to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Let the lemon syrup cool. 

Transfer the hot cake (still in the pan) to a wire rack and immediately brush the cake with the lemon syrup (use all of it).  Let the cake cool completely in the pan.      

Poftă Bună! (Bon Appétit!)