Coffee and Tea

Our coffee pot is a barometer of sorts. My husband is the coffee drinker in our house, and when he makes his coffee in the morning, I can gauge how he's feeling based on his coffee prep. Five to six cups of coffee = feeling pretty good today. Seven or eight cups = tired; semi-surly mood. Nine cups = watch out, I am not fit for human interaction. I mentioned this to him recently and he was amused. He said that he had honestly not noticed this correlation. I suppose that for many years now I have used this indicator as a gauge without thinking about it much.

I am the family tea drinker. Oh, I love coffee and drink it regularly, but tea is my beverage of choice. My tea barometer is probably more like this. Time to make tea = got basically enough sleep. No time to make tea = tired; needed to sleep until the last second.

There are lots of books available about coffee and tea, and I own several. It's terrible to admit that I am not drawn to history as a subject, and so I don't often make my way through an entire book on either coffee or tea. One I have is The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide by Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss. It has beautiful photographs and a nice heft. There are even recipes in the back with tea as an ingredient: Clams in sweet white miso and green tea broth, Green tea pot de crème, Lapsong souchong and jasmine tea ice cream. I love tea-infused ice cream--ohhh, a favorite flavor option, absolutely.

There are also: Tea and Sympathy: The Life of an English Teashop in New York by Anita Naughton and Nicola Perry, Having Tea: Recipes & Table Settings by Tricia Foley, The Afternoon Tea Book by Michael Smith, The Harney & Sons Guide to Tea by Michael Harney, and Starbucks Passion for Coffee, which a great little book because the recipe developers are Lora Brody and John Phillip Carroll. The recipes in it are fantastic. In fact, my favorite homemade granola comes from this book. I make it often.

Grand City Granola

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup honey
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups rolled oats
2 2/3 cups barley flakes
1 1/3 cups rye flakes
1 1/3 cups wheat flakes
3 1/2 cups nut pieces
2/3 cup coarsely shredded unsweetened coconut
11 ounces dried fruit, cut into 3/8-inch pieces
1 cup dark raisins

For optimum taste and texture, use rolled oats, equal amounts of almond slices, walnuts, pecans and cashews for the nut pieces, and equal quantities of dates, prunes and apricots for the dried fruit. Enjoy with caffè latte or a bright Central American varietal.

Place the butter, vegetable oil, honey, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter is fully melted.

Preheat an oven to 300°F. In a large bowl, mix together the rolled oats, barley, rye and wheat flakes, nut pieces and coconut. Pour the warm butter mixture over the grains and toss with your hands or two large spoons until the grains are evenly coated.

Like a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread the grain mixture evenly over the foil and bake, turning the mixture every 10 minutes with a spoon or spatula, until the flakes begin to turn golden, 20-30 minutes. Be sure to turn all corners and surfaces so that the granola bakes evenly. The grains will seem a little sticky when done but will crisp as they cool.

Immediately after removing the granola from the oven, mix in the dried fruit and raisins and combine thoroughly. Let the granola cool completely and then store in an air tight container. It will keep for two weeks when stored in a cool place.

Makes about 4 pounds granola.