Breakfast Club - Kilner Crunch

This breakfast was inspired by the two course breakfast served at Storrs Hall in the Lake District.  Each morning you picked a 'starter' and a 'main course'.  My choices were the same each morning, Kilner Crunch followed by Eggs Benedict with Cartmel Valley Smoked Salmon in place of the ham, I know it as Eggs West Coast because that is how this dish appears on the menu at my fave brunch spot, not sure if that is how everyone else knows it or not! 

Anyhoo, the Kilner Crunch struck me as being very simple but quite effective so I thought I'd give it a go ... minus some of the pomp and ceremony!  At Storrs Hall they serve it in a kilner jar (hence the name!) and it comes out on a slate placemat, the waiter opens the jar one handed ~ this part impresses me greatly as sometimes I struggle to open a kilner jar with both my hands!  It is basically a layer of fruit compote with slices of fresh fruit mixed in, a layer of yogurt and then a sprinkling of granola / muesli (that'd be the crunch part!) over the top.

I was going to make my own yogurt as well as muesli to go with this but I couldn't get some of the ingredients at my local shop ... and then I decided that it would probably be better to just go for one of the ready made ones that would be lower in fat than a homemade number.  The fruit compote and the muesli are both home made though ;0)

For the fruit compote I used a selection of summer fruits which I simmered in a pan with about 2 tsp of vanilla sugar until they were nice and juicy, then I popped the compote in a bowl and sat it in the fridge over night.  For the muesli I followed one of my favourite Donna Hay recipes.  Donna's recipe uses dried peaches but I've never been able to find them over here so I usually just sub whatever I feel like at the time, yesterday I had some dried mango to hand so I used that.

Peach and Coconut Granola
3 cups oats
1 cup flaked almonds
1/2 cup honey (I use half honey, half golden syrup)
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups shredded coconut (also hard to find, I replace this with dessicated coconut instead)
2 cups chopped dried peaches (or whatever you fancy)

Preheat the oven to 180C.  Place the oats and almonds in a large bowl and set aside.  Place the honey (golden syrup), oil and vanilla in a small saucepan over high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 mins or until the honey is melted.  pour over the oat mixture and stir well to combine.  Spoon the mixture onto a baking tray lined with non stick baking paper and cook for 10-15 mins or until golden.  Stir through the coconut and peaches and allow to cool.

Makes 8 cups
Donna Hay Magazine, Issue 31

Jane's Granola Recipe

Are you wondering who Jane is?  Well she is the food editor of the magazine that this recipe came from and kudos to her, this has quickly become one of our most favourite granola recipes.  In fact it is the granola recipe that all others are compared to, which is why we still call it Jane's Granola!  It is very versatile, you can add in or leave out what you have or don't have in the cupboard and the granola always turns out well.  We enjoy this sprinkled over fruit compote and yogurt, Kilner Crunch style!

Jane's Granola Recipe
250g rolled oats
200g mixed nuts, roughly chopped (such as pecans, brazils or hazelnuts)
2 tbsp each of sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, linseed, pumpkin seeds
6 tbsp clear honey
75g raisins
75g dried apricots, roughly chopped
75g dried cranberries or cherries

Preheat the oven to 150 C / 130 C fan. Mix together the oats, nuts and seeds in a large bowl. Put onto two baking sheets lined with baking parchment, drizzle over the honey and mix together until little clusters form, but not totally mixed.

Place the trays in the preheated oven and cook the granola for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the fruit and mix well. Cook for another 8 to 10 minutes. Leave to cool completely, then transfer to a lidded container. Serve with sheep or goat’s yogurt and a drizzle of honey or fresh berries
 
Makes 20 x 40g servings
Feel Good Food Mag