Last week, I got to attend a fun event hosted by Post—right here in my work building! The company brought with them the chefs and owners of Chelsea eatery Tipsy Parson, Julie Taras Wallach and Tasha Garcia, who showed us how to use cereal to put a healthy spin on comfort food.
I’m a huge fan of working with what you got, so it was fascinating to see how a household staple could be turned into a dinnertime ingredient. Though I didn’t try the meatloaf, I was totally bowled over by the chicken (a welcome punch of sweetness), the mac and cheese (the perfect flaky topping) and the apple crisp, for which I’ve shared the recipe below.
{Tipsy Parson chef/owner Julie Taras Wallach tells us about their inspiration}
{The menu}
{Meatloaf}
{Macaroni and cheese}
{More macaroni and cheese}
{Oven “fried” chicken}
{Apple crumble}
Grape Nuts Apple Crisp
What to get:
For Grape Nut streusel:
- ¾ cup finely ground graham crackers
- ¾ cup coarsely ground Post Grape Nuts cereal
- 1½ tsp cinnamon
- 1½ tbsp brown sugar
- 2½ tbsp melted butter
- 2½ tbsp melted apricot preserves
For apple filling:
- 4½ lbs. sweet-tart apples, such as Gala, peeled, cored and sliced
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 6 tbsp granulated sugar, or to taste
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Stir together dry streusel ingredients. Drizzle in butter and apricot preserves and stir until mixed.
3. Gently spread mixture (do not press down) on baking sheet and bake 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Allow streusel to cool and break up any large chunks so that mixture is in pea-sized pieces.
4. Center rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350ºF. Lightly spray sides and bottom of 13×9 baking dish with cooking spray.
5. In a large bowl,, toss together all four apple filling ingredients until combined, making sure to keep apple slices intact. Transfer to prepped baking dish and loosely cover with foil.
6. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until apples become tender and liquid is slightly thickened.
7. Crumble streusel topping evenly over apple mixture and return to oven, uncovered. Continue baking until topping is golden and apples are tender or about 15 more minutes.
8. Cool slightly and serve warm.
Serve 12