granola bark

In a departure from pretty much all of our norms, we went toLas Vegasthis past weekend to celebrate a friend’s big birthday because… why not? Possibly needless to say, my opportunities these days to takelong plane rideswith no kids, lounge by pools long enough to finish books, uninterrupted even, and spend exactly zero minutes searching for or scrubbingsippy cup partsare scarce and when graced with a chance to do all of the above at once, it took half a second to book our tickets. Also needless to say, I could now use more sleep, less gin, and to reintroduce my system to fresh fruits and vegetables. This probably means we did it correctly. I’m glad I did at least one semi-wholesome before I left, which was to make a big satisfying sheet of granola in the format of breakable “bark.” This comes from the new cookbook,Tartine All Dayfrom Elisabeth Prueitt, half of the duo behind thefamed bakeryin San Francisco. To say I have been excited about this book would be the understatement of the season. Ever since I discoveredPrueitt’s Instagramlast year, where she shared the bits and pieces (with recipes!) of what she was fine-tuning for this book, I had a running list in my head of recipes I couldn’t wait to get to, andsome I couldn’t even wait that long for. Also in this book, an apple beehive* that will torture me until good apples are back in season in New York; a 5-day sauerkraut, cider caramel ribs, and crispy waffles** also made the shortlist, but I’m glad I got to this first because it’s been way too long since we had a new granola recipe here and this one ticks all the boxes: not too sweet, good crisp, but not tooth-breaking crunch, and if you’re in it for the big chunks, you know, the ones you fish out of the jar first (of course you do), you’re in for a treat because this is basically all-cluster granola. * I really want to try a savory version with potatoes. I mean, it’s been a whole two weeks since my last major cooking flop so why not, right?** Incidentally, the book is also gluten-free but something I enjoyed about it is that you can flip through and barely notice it; it’s not the focus of the book, simple a fact because Prueitt tends to a gluten intolerance. Wheat-based recipes are the inspiration and reference point; this is more apparent in the baking recipes, of course. One year ago:Carrot Tahini MuffinsandSheet Pan Chicken TikkaTwo years ago:Obsessively Good Avocado-Cucumber SaladandStrawberry Rhubarb Soda SyrupThree years ago:Dark Chocolate Coconut MacaroonsandBaked Eggs with Spinach and MushroomsFour years ago:Bee Sting CakeFive years ago:Banana Bread Crepe Cake with ButterscotchSix years ago:Blackberry and Coconut Macaroon TartSeven years ago:Radicchio Apple and Pear SaladandNew York CheesecakeEight years ago:Chocolate Caramel Crack(ers)andSimple Potato GratinNine years ago:Spring PanzanellaandLemon Yogurt Anything CakeTen years ago:Potato Rosemary BreadandGnocchi with a Grater And for the other side of the world:Six Months Ago:Russian Honey CakeandPumpkin Bread1.5 Years Ago:My Old-School Baked ZitiandCannoli Pound Cake2.5 Years Ago:Better Chicken Pot PiesandBetter Chocolate Babka3.5 Years Ago:Purple Plum Torte4.5 Years Ago:Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls