De Ma Cuisine

Baking Archive

Monday

10

November 2014

0

COMMENTS

Apple Rosemary Flatbread

Written by , Posted in Appetizers, Baking, Bread, Breakfast, Cheese, Fruit, Herbs, Kid-Friendly, Lunch, Pizza, Quick and Easy, Sides, Snacks, Vegetarian

AppleRosemaryFlatbread-1

I love when it’s apple season. I think I say that every season about something. I love the changing of the seasons and the promise of something new that comes with it.

I especially love fall.

There are things to love and things to be ready to be done with no matter what season we’re in. But, after a long summer, today’s cool breeze and cloudy sky is a literal breath of fresh air. Combine that with an apple or pear, eaten out of hand, while at my desk editing photos, and that makes for quite a nice fall day.

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The day I made this flatbread it was still hot and sunny. Today I want to eat all the soup.

This flatbread would go nicely with soup. Apples pair nicely with winter squash, so this might be delicious alongside a Vegan Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, a Browned Butter and Four Cheese Broccoli Soup, or a Leek and Potato Soup. I always want bread with my soup. Often it’s some sliced homemade baguettes with salted butter. But, sometimes I want bread with a little bit more. This flatbread meets that requirement.

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Apples are usually just eaten raw at our house. We love them as a snack. They’re full of fiber and are a great way to tide me over when I’m already starving and it’s not nearly time for the next meal.

In this case though, they’re thinly sliced and then chopped.

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They’re going to top this lavash (you could also use whole wheat or regular tortillas, or a par-baked pizza crust). But first, some olive oil.

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Then a good handful of cheddar. Cheddar is probably my favorite cheese to pair with apples. And to eat with some crackers after a good workout… or any time of the day or night.

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The cheese is topped with rosemary, salt, and pepper, then baked for a little bit, just to get things started.

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Raisins are added about two minutes before the end of the baking time. They get just a bit soft and warm.

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And that’s it. Easy, peasy, apple peel… I dunno.

Happy Eating!

Apple Rosemary Flatbread
Recipe Type: Appetizer, Side, Bread, Snack
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 7 mins
Total time: 12 mins
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
  • 1 flatbread or large whole wheat tortilla (I used lavash, you could also use a par-baked pizza crust)
  • 1 t olive oil
  • to taste salt
  • 1 small apple, thinly sliced and chopped
  • to taste pepper
  • 1/4 to 1/2 t dried (or 1 t fresh) rosemary, chopped
  • 1/4 C cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1-2 T raisins
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350F.
  2. Top lavash with olive oil and brush over surface. Sprinkle with salt. Top with apple, rosemary, pepper, and cheese. Bake for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese has mostly melted.
  3. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with raisins. Return to the oven and bake for 2 minutes more.
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Monday

22

September 2014

0

COMMENTS

Fish Wellingtons

Written by , Posted in Baking, Dinner, Eggs, Fennel Pollen, Fish, Fruit, Lunch, Main Dishes, Meat, Potatoes, Vegetables

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My friend Christy came over for lunch the other day. She’s one of my favorite people to eat with and I often think of her when I’m cooking, since our tastes are so similar. She asked where the inspiration for this dish came from. I can’t honestly remember. It may be the heat (still up close to 100 degrees F, which is obviously wrong for September), or just a leaky memory. Wherever the idea came from, it was good.

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It went well with the Creamy Cucumber and Tomato Salad that I’d made (more on that another week), the Roasted Eggplant Soup that she’d brought, and the Lemon-Basil Spritzers that we were drinking to beat the heat. I mean, mostly, we were just happy to be hanging out. But, it’s always even better when there’s yummy food to compliment a wonderful friendship.

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It all started with what I call Fish Wellingtons. And they all started with a good pie crust. I use Alana Chernila’s recipe. (Page 149 of her cookbook, Homemade Pantry.) It’s the best pie crust I’ve ever made. I gave Christy this cookbook as a birthday gift during lunch. I’m not sure who was happier that she has it now, her or me.

I’d made the crust the day before and frozen it. It’s also great made the day of.

Frozen pie crust is a great stress/tension reliever. Have you ever had the opportunity to smack a partially frozen pie crust with a rolling pin? As effective as a punching bag, and, you can eat it later.

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I’ve used two kinds of fish for this dish. Swordfish and Halibut. Use what you like and what you’d think will go well with the rest of the ingredients. I liked both of these, and would use either again (especially if they’re on sale, which is why I used Halibut this time, Swordfish last time).

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Sometimes I like to stand by the stove and listen to the food cook. I often forget to slow down and listen. There’s so much beauty to be found in simple things like liquid bubbling in a pan. Things like this refresh me.

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You don’t have to use butter. But, I love the deep flavor that it adds. If you’d prefer, olive oil would be great too.

You also don’t have to brown the butter, if that makes you nervous. But, you’ll be missing out on the even deeper, richer flavor that browning it brings.

Your choice.

Seriously.

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The potatoes and zucchini are thinly sliced and crisped up in a skillet. When they’re done, garlic is added, mostly to make you swoon from the insanely awesome smell.

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Crusts are smacked and rolled out. They’re topped with all the goodies you’ve been smelling (and sampling – the potato filling might not all fit – don’t be afraid to stand at the island and eat the leftovers – saves a container from having to be washed at a later date).

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Fish is broken apart and added. You probably won’t need it all – leftovers can be frozen and saved for Chowders or refrigerated for sandwiches and salads.

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The crust is folded over, crimped shut with a fork, poked a bit, then brushed with a beaten egg (save the rest of the egg to add to scrambled eggs or an omelette).

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Then, the best part (according to Tim): sprinkle each one with some coarse sea salt (preferably some that you brought back from Paris when you were there almost a year ago…). It adds a great crunch.

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I’m wishing that I’d made six instead of three. I think I could eat this everyday for like ever… But, then I say that about most things.

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Happy Eating!

Fish Wellingtons
Recipe Type: Main, Dinner, Fish, Baking
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 3
Crispy potatoes and squash, fresh tomatoes and braised fish are wrapped up in a delicious pie crust to make a variation on Fish Wellington.
Ingredients
  • 2 C vegetable stock (or white wine)
  • 1 fillet fish (Swordfish or Halibut), skin removed
  • pinch salt
  • pinch pepper
  • pinch fennel pollen
  • 2 T butter
  • 4 small potatoes, halved and thinly sliced
  • to taste salt
  • to taste pepper
  • pinch fennel pollen
  • 1 small zucchini, thinly sliced and chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 pie crust, divided equally into 3 pieces
  • 1 tomato, sliced
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • coarse sea salt
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 375F.
  2. Heat stock and when it’s boiling, add the fish with a pinch of salt, pepper, and fennel pollen. Braise for about 10-20 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish).
  3. Heat a skillet. Add butter. When it starts to brown, add potatoes, salt, pepper, and fennel pollen. Cook for about 7 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Add zucchini and cook for about 6 minutes more, with a dash more salt, pepper, and fennel pollen. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
  4. Roll out pie crusts. Place on a baking sheet. Divide potato mixture between the three crusts and spoon onto one side. Top with tomato slices and the fish. Sprinkle with a bit more salt, pepper, and fennel pollen.
  5. Fold the non-topped side of the crust over the fish and veggies. Press edges down and crimp to seal with a fork. Pierce the top a few times with the fork. Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 25-30 minutes on a rack place in the top third of the oven.

 

Monday

4

August 2014

1

COMMENTS

Summer Pizza

Written by , Posted in Baking, Cheese, Dinner, Fruit, Herbs, Lunch, Main Dishes, Pizza, Quick and Easy, Vegetables, Vegetarian

SummerPizza-8Eeets thyme fur peeeetsa.

Sorry. Kinda. It’s been one of those days. Sometimes stress is released in the form of weirdness.

And managed by eating pizza.

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Cutting veggies is therapeutic too. I have lots of cutting boards, and two are designated for onions and garlic. My beautiful new cutting board is not one of them. I never want anything sweet to accidentally taste like raw onions. Nope. Yuck. So I have two cutting boards with an X on the back that are special and a little bit stinky. 

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We had a similar pizza to this the other week. Ahem, I did. Tim doesn’t agree that squash belongs on a pizza. He will eat it in pretty much anything else though, so it’s cool. He made his own personal pizza and I made mine. Mine had lots of veggies. His didn’t. They both tasted good.

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I used Alana’s recipe for the pizza crust (from her cookbook). You can use hers, or whatever you would normally use. I like my crust thin and crispy. If you like it thicker and chewier, adjust the recipe accordingly.

Because of my taste for crispness, I like to par-bake the crust a bit before topping it.

Par-bake means to partially bake it (as par-cook means to partially cook).

I topped it with a bit of olive oil and some herbs, because I wanted two layers of herby flavor. (Helpful tip: If you need some bread to go accompany a dish and you don’t have a baguette on hand, you could just all the way bake the crust and eat it like a sort of focaccia bread.)

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Then it’s topped with some tomato sauce (it’s also great with olive oil if you don’t like sauce), and more herbs.

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Lots of different veggies, like kale, zucchini, corn, and tomato (tomato is a fruit, but in this case let’s pretend it’s a veggie since it’s acting like one), but not so many that it weighs down the pizza. It’s still a light summer meal.

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I opted for some parmesan and an aged cheddar. Because it’s what I have in the fridge.

I’d planned to use feta, but it’s smelled baaaaad. There’s stinky cheese and then there’s steeeeenky cheese.

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It’s topped with a bit of basil (from my garden – all the basil that I got as an add-on from AHO last week is gone gone gone). And as soon as the last photo was taken I ate as much as I could, as quickly as possible because I was starving! And then I ate it again today before I typed up this post.

Happy Eating!

Summer Pizza
Recipe Type: Main, Dinner, Pizza
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Summer squash, corn, and tomatoes all top this light summer pizza.
Ingredients
  • 2 t olive oil, divided
  • 1 pizza crust
  • 2 t dried Italian herbs (mixture of basil, rosemary, oregano, thyme, and parsley), divided
  • to taste salt
  • to taste pepper
  • 1/4 C tomato sauce (optional – could also just use olive oil)
  • 12-15 slices zucchini/summer squash
  • 8-10 tomato slices
  • 2 T raw corn (frozen is fine)
  • 1/4 C kale (spinach, chard, collard greens), cut in a chiffonade (small ribbons)
  • 2 T green onions, chopped
  • 1/2 C cheese (parmesan and cheddar), grated
  • to taste salt
  • to taste pepper
  • fresh basil, for topping
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 450F.
  2. Grease pizza pan with 1 t olive oil. Press out crust onto pan so it’s fairly thin. Top crust with remaining olive oil, and sprinkle with 1 t Italian herbs, salt, and pepper. Bake for about 5 minutes (optional – you can bake it all at once too).
  3. Top par-baked crust with sauce, remaining Italian herbs, veggies, cheese, salt, and pepper. Bake an additional 7 minutes (or until crust is to desired crispness and cheese is melted – it will be longer for thicker crusts).
  4. Serve topped with fresh basil.

Monday

14

July 2014

1

COMMENTS

Apricot and Black Pepper Galette

Written by , Posted in Baking, Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Eggs, Fruit, Lunch, Vegetarian

ApricotBlackPepperGalette-11

Remember that time when my blog was broken… for like two months… and then Tim and some friends fixed it?

Yeah, they fixed it just because they’re nice people.

So I made them a galette.

Sometimes thank you needs to be said in the form of food.

David, Andy, Vic, and of course Tim, thank you. I can cook the food, take the pictures, and type some letters in here. But, when something breaks, it takes brains like yours to know how to make things better. I am grateful.

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So grateful that I’m sharing our stone fruit. Sharing it and converting it into a thank you treat.

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We had some over-ripe apricots in the fridge. You know, the ones that are kinda wrinkly and you think they might be good for nothing? Instead, you find that they’re super soft and sweet. Just perfect for a galette.

Nectarines, peaches, plums, apriums, and pluots could all be substituted. You know, use what you have on hand.

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Lemon zest. It needed to be a part of this dish. I just can’t get enough. It’s an essential part of my pantry, so I try to have lemons on hand no matter what the season. They brighten almost any dish.

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Apricots are combined with a bit of butter, some honey, and maple syrup.

Aaaand black pepper.

Don’t skip this. Black pepper goes really well with stone fruit.

Seriously!

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I made a pie crust. I used Alana’s recipe from her cookbook, which is one of my favorites, called The Homemade Pantry (it’s on page 150). It was super easy and I really liked how it turned out. Sooo yeah, I’ll be making that again (along with her Maple Popcorn which I’ve made twice and can’t stop stuffing into my face).

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Alana suggests folding the crust in half and then in half again to move it from the counter to the pan. I did this. It worked well.

Winner.

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All that sweet filling is plomped in the center of the crust.

I think this is gonna be good.

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The filling is sprinkled with chopped almonds. For crunch. Walnuts would be great too. Or if you’re not nuts about nuts (sorry, I couldn’t resist), leave ’em out.

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To make the crust all shiny and pretty I whisked an egg and brushed it onto the crust. You don’t have to do this, but it’s an easy way to make your galette go from pretty to spectacular.

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I was all proud of myself for making a crust that held together and didn’t have any holes for the filling to leak out of.

Wrong.

It leaked all over the place. (This happened the first time I made a galette too.)

The good thing is that it turns into candy.

Accidental candy.

I ate most of it.

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The rest I scraped off the pan and drizzled over the galette.

Yep, now the galette has caramel sauce on it.

Super fancy.

(If your galette doesn’t leak, pat yourself on the back and then email me to tell me how you did it. Ok? Ok.)

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The whole process took me a while, from pie crust start to drizzling finish. But, it’s not all that complicated or difficult. And it’s so worth it.

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Make this ahead of time and then invite your favorite people to join you for dinner. I would like to eat this outside, under a nice shade tree, after some barbecue and potato salad. And the leftovers, if there are any, might get a dollop of Greek yogurt and turn into breakfast.

That’s how we roll at our house.

Happy Eating!

Apricot and Black Pepper Galette
Recipe Type: Dessert, Fruit, Summer
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 75 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Total time: 1 hour 45 mins
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 pie crust
  • 1/8 to 1/4 C honey
  • 1/8 to 1/4 C maple syrup
  • 1 t lemon zest
  • 1 T lemon juice
  • pinch salt
  • 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 C super ripe apricots (plums, peaches, nectarines, pluots, apriums could be substituted or added)
  • 1 T butter, cut into small pieces
  • butter, for baking
  • flour, for baking
  • 2 T almonds, chopped
  • 1 egg, whisked
Instructions
  1. Prepare pie crust and chill for an hour. Remove from fridge 15 minutes before rolling out.
  2. Pre-heat the oven to 375F.
  3. Whisk together honey through pepper. Add apricots and butter, tossing gently to combine.
  4. Butter and lightly flour a piece of parchment paper, that’s on a baking sheet.
  5. Roll out pie crust to be about 12-14″ in diameter. Gently fold in half and in half again, and pick it up to place on the parchment paper. Unfold.
  6. Scoop the apricot mixture into the center of the crust. Sprinkle with almonds. Gently fold the crust up and around the filling, leaving the center open. Make sure there are no cracks, or the liquid will run. Brush crust with egg and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the crust is golden and flaky.
  7. If any sauce leaks out, scrape off the pan with a spoon and drizzle over the galette (it will be like a caramel).
  8. Let cool completely before serving.
Notes
Prep time includes pie crust preparation.
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Friday

27

June 2014

2

COMMENTS

Vegan Fruit Crisp

Written by , Posted in Baking, Breakfast, Brunch, Dairy-Free, Dessert, Fruit, Gluten Free, Kid-Friendly, Quick and Easy, Vegan, Vegetarian

 

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A few weeks ago we were invited to a barbecue at the house of some friends. I brought the dessert. The only dessert.

One of my favorite go-to desserts is fruit crisp. I like to make it because it’s easy and because my mom used to make it all the time when I was growing up, so I have a sentimental attachment to it.

For this particular evening, I chose to make it because the friends who hosted are vegans. I wasn’t sure about trying to make a vegan cake. So I went with simple, and adapted my crisp to suit them.

Their son, Theo, was not impressed. He was expecting dessert. To a three year old, dessert means cake.

Oops.

The still warm crisp was dished out. Generous helpings. I was anxious to know if they liked it. As Theo was handed his plate his little face just crumpled and the cutest three year old voice says, “That’s not desse-wrt! Where’s the cake?”

Thankfully his parents liked it. 😉

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It’s the perfect dessert for whatever fruit is in season. Spring and summer: berries and stone fruit. Fall and winter: apples, pears, persimmons, and grapes. And it makes a fabulous breakfast the next day. Cold with some Greek yogurt, that’s how I like it. Or just standing in front of the fridge with the door open, shoveling spoonfuls into my mouth as I try to decide what to make for dinner. (I know, I know, I’m not supposed to decide with the fridge door open… My mom has told me a thousand times…)

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Sugars and juice are whisked together. Sweet sweet. But, it’s honey, maple syrup, and coconut palm sugar. No refined white sugar here. You can use white or brown sugar if you prefer. This is how I like it though.

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Super sweet and juicy, the fruit is tossed with the liquid and poured into a greased baking dish.

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I opted for summer fruits, because that’s what’s in season. Aren’t the colors pretty?

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A slightly less sweet, oaty, crumbly mixture will top the fruit.

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Oats for hearty goodness. And to make this a perfectly acceptable next day breakfast.

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Invite your favorite people over, or bring this to a barbecue.

Just be sure to remind them that it’s not cake.

(Sorry Theo.)

Happy Eating!

Vegan Fruit Crisp
 
Recipe Type: Dessert, Vegan, Fruit
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8-10
Perfect for any time of year, for vegans and non-vegans alike.
Ingredients
  • 2 C blueberries
  • 1 C strawberries (could sub blackberries), chopped
  • 2 C (heaping) nectarines (could sub apples, pears, plums, persimmons), chopped
  • 1/2 C apriums/apricots (could sub peaches), chopped
  • 1 T cornstarch
  • 1 t vanilla extract
  • 3 T orange juice
  • pinch salt
  • 1/3 C honey
  • 1/3 C coconut palm sugar (honey, maple syrup, or brown sugar will work too)
  • 1/3 C maple syrup (or honey)
  • 4 C oats
  • 1/3 C coconut palm sugar
  • 2 T whole wheat or Gluten-free flour
  • 1 t cinnamon
  • dash nutmeg
  • pinch allspice
  • 1/3 C maple syrup
  • 3 T coconut oil, melted
  • 2 T honey
  • 1 T coconut oil, plus more for greasing the pan
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F.
  2. Combine fruit in a bowl.
  3. Whisk together cornstarch, vanilla, orange juice, salt, honey, coconut palm sugar, and maple syrup. Toss with fruit.
  4. Combine oats, flour, coconut palm sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Add maple syrup, oil, and honey.
  5. Pour fruit into a greased 9×13 baking dish. Top with oat mixture. Press down slightly with a spatula. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until bubbly and hot.
  6. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before serving – it’s best just a little warmer than room temperature.
 
Notes
If you’d prefer a non-vegan crisp, use butter instead of coconut oil. If you have vegan friends who don’t eat honey, just use maple syrup. For gluten-free, use your favorite GF flour and oats.