Easy Gluten-Free Almond and Tart Cherry Granola

prep: 15 minutes
cook: 40 to 50 minutes

makes about 7 cups

you’ll need…
⅓ cup brown sugar
½ cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup canola or vegetable
½ cup whole almonds
5 cups gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats (DON’T use instant, quick or steel-cut oats)
½ cup sliced almonds
1 cup dried tart cherries (or your favorite dried fruit like cranberries, raisins, currents)

let’s get to it…
Place one of the oven racks about 6 to 8-inches from the top or in the top 1/3 of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, oil and whole almonds together in a large bowl.
Add oats one cup at a time, stirring gently with a rubber spatula so that the oats are completely coated.
Spread oat mixture evenly onto lined baking sheet and press down mixture with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 20 minutes and rotate pan. Continue baking 20 to 30 minutes longer, or until lightly browned.
Remove from oven and sprinkle sliced almonds and cherries evenly on top. Press down on the fruit using a rubber spatula. Cool in the pan for 2 hours.
Break into pieces and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Tart

prep: 20 minutes
cook/bake: 90 minutes

serves 8

you’ll need…

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 large onion, thinly sliced

3 cups butternut squash, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 refrigerated pie crust

1 box (5.2 ounces) Boursin cheese

2 eggs

½ cup milk

1 cup grated Gruyère cheese

salt and pepper to taste

let’s get to it…

Place oven rack in center. Heat oven to 425°F.

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add sliced onion and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, while onions cook, toss squash in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon of oil. Spread squash on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake 15 minutes (squash will NOT be cooked through); set aside to cool.

Press pie crust onto bottom of a 9-inch tart or pie pan. Line pie crust with a piece of parchment paper slightly larger than the bottom. Fill with pie weights. (Pie weights keep the bottom from puffing up or the sides from falling down.) Bake for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Beat Boursin cheese, eggs and milk in a medium bowl until well blended; set aside.

Spoon sautéed onions and squash evenly onto bottom of pie crust. Pour Boursin cheese mixture on top of onions and squash. Sprinkle on Gruyère cheese.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until pie is golden brown and the center is set. Remove from oven and cool on a rack for 15 minutes before serving.

Black and Red Raspberry Tart

prep: 40 minutes, plus 1 hour resting in refrigerator (the dough, not you)
bake: 15 minutes

for the crust you’ll need…
1¼ cups flour (and a little extra for dusting)
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch slices
¼ cup cold solid vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces
2 tablespoons cold vodka
2 tablespoons cold water

for the cream filling you’ll need…
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

for the topping…
1½ lbs black and red raspberries, mixed

let’s get to it…
Mix half the flour and salt in a food processor for 2-seconds. Add the butter and shortening and pulse about 10 to 15 times or until dough looks like cottage cheese and there is no loose flour; scrape bowl. Add remaining flour and pulse 5 or 6 times.
Remove dough from food processor and place in a medium bowl. Sprinkle vodka and water over dough and fold until dough sticks together and all liquid is absorbed. Flatten dough into a 4-inch disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. (You’ll still be able to see little pieces of butter in the dough).
Mix sugar, flour and salt together in a medium-mixing bowl.
Heat milk in a saucepan until hot (but not boiling). Stir the milk into the sugar mixture and beat until well blended.
Pour mixture back into the saucepan and continue to stir rapidly over low heat for about 5 minutes until thickand smooth (keep stirring or your pastry cream will get lumpy!).
Stir in egg yolks; cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool 15 minutes; stir in vanilla. Refrigerate until needed.
Dust rolling pin and work surface with flour. Remove dough disk from refrigerator. Roll dough in a circle to a uniform thickness (about ⅛-to-¼-inch thick), about 1-inch larger than an upside down 10 or 12-inch tart pan.
Place rolled-out dough into tart pan and press gently into form of plate. Use excess dough to mend any sports or holes in dough. Prick the bottom and sides of the dough so you can “blind bake” the crust.* Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes.
Spread the cooled pastry cream on the bottom of baked tart shell. Arrange the raspberries as desired or just spoon them on top freestyle. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

*Blind baking, also called pre-baking, is baking a crust without the filling. You do this when the filling has a shorter bake time than the crust, or the filling doesn’t need to be baked at all (as in the case of this tart). Blind baking also helps the crust from becoming soggy. You can prick the bottom and sides of the crust so it keeps its shape during baking. A better idea is to use a pie-weight. Dried beans or lentils on a piece of parchment paper (on top of the dough) work well, too.