One of my greatest pleasures in life is to entertain — mostly because I love to experience friends and family enjoy a good meal and laugh over a great bottle of wine. In fact, it is my love of entertaining that inspired Simply Paired! Part of the entertaining process for me is to find a new way to “wow” my guests and make them feel special. Creating a homemade version of something that can be easily store-bought is one of my tricks. And that is how my Granola & Tart Cherries recipe was born! I never knew how easy it was to make your own granola until I tried it myself. And, it is much healthier! This recipe is a staple in my house. I make it weekly for the family!
For the wine pairing, I wanted to elevate the experience so I thought sparkling wine was in order. I chose a sparkling Rose wine from Spain to complement the tart cherries in the granola. I love to serve this combination for a Sunday brunch but quite frankly, it works any time!
Granola & Tart Cherries
Ingredients
- 1 cup of gluten-free, old-fashion oats (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
- 1 cup of sliced almonds
- ½ cup of chopped walnuts
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon of sea salt or kosher salt
- ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup good honey
- 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup tart cherries
Directions
- Step 1 Heat oven to 275 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper
- Step 2 Mix together oats, almonds, walnuts, cinnamon and salt.
- Step 3 Stir in the olive oil, honey and maple syrup. Combine well so that all ingredients are moist.
- Step 4 Spread the mixture evenly on to two baking sheets. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Cool on wire rack for about 15 minutes. Break up the granola with your hands and stir in the cherries. Store in air-tight container for up to a week.
