Breakfast : Starting Your Day the Cereal Way

Until just a few years ago, a restaurant customer’s request for cereal was answered with a bowl, a spoon, a glass of milk and a miniature box from Kellogg’s. But power breakfasting has brought the day’s humblest meal into the hands of chefs. They are helping us rediscover the satisfying flavor, texture and nutritional integrity of a bowl of oats.

A survey of local restaurants reveals many favorite breakfast and brunch spots that offer a variety of whole-grain cereals, often made in the restaurant’s own kitchen. Campanile, for example, serves a nutty granola made at the restaurant; Kate Mantilini offers Wheatena cooked in apple juice. Angeli Mare dishes up soft polenta with butter, brown sugar, raisins and pine nuts, and Babalu features Irish oatmeal with Grape Nuts and fresh fruit.

Ever since the Neolithic Age, cooks have experimented with grain--indeed the greatest civilizations have been built and destroyed over the stuff. But I started experimenting with cereal in reaction to trips to the grocery store.

A walk down the supermarket cereal aisle reveals an overwhelming selection of flakes, crisps and “O”s. Just past the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cereal and Breakfast With Barbie is a fleet of healthy-looking cereal boxes with names such as Nutrigrain, Fruitful Bran and Kenmei Rice Bran. I am sure that many of these cereals are good for you; however, I prefer to know exactly what is and isn’t going into my cereal bowl. That’s why I make most of my breakfast cereals.

We’re so accustomed to brightly colored boxes of mass-produced flakes that we forget how simple cereals are to make at home. All it takes is a big bowl for mixing, an oven for toasting and a few storage containers. The ingredients are inexpensive and easily obtainable. Most are available in supermarkets, and a trip to the health food store should fill any gaps.

Whole grains are satisfying to eat on their own. You can develop a great appreciation for each one by eating simple porridges made from just a single grain and water. Multi-grain cereals add depth, complexity and texture. All grains have a more intense, nuttier flavor when toasted. Try toasting them in a 200-degree oven until golden. The subsequent cooking procedure is easy, and always the same: 1) Bring liquid to a boil. 2) Add grain. 3) Simmer partially covered until done.

The trick to making good multi-grain mixes for hot cereals is in combining grains with similar cooking times. Oatmeal, bulgur, rye flakes, cornmeal and bran all take less than 20 minutes to cook, whereas 35 to 45 minutes are required for cooking brown rice, millet and pearled barley. More than an hour is needed for wheat berries.

Here are the basic ingredients you will need to make your own cereals. You should note that the same grain may vary slightly in size and thickness from brand to brand, so the recommended cooking times are only approximate.

* OATS: Always buy old-fashioned or steel-cut oats. Quick-cooking and instant oats are cut much thinner than the coarser old-fashioned ones, so their texture doesn’t hold up well in homemade cereals. Steel-cut oats, also known as Scotch or Irish oatmeal, are cut into fine bits. Unlike instant oats, their pronounced oat flavor and creamy texture improves with cooking. They can be purchased in supermarkets or health food stores. Cooking time: regular oats, approximately 10 minutes; steel-cut oats, 15 minutes or longer.

* WHEAT: Wheat berries, which are hulled wheat kernels, are delicious but take several hours to cook. Wheat flakes are a quicker, more convenient alternative to berries. These are not like “bran flakes”; they are uncooked flakes cut from the wheat berry and are great to use in multi-grain cereals. Wheat that is cooked and dried before grinding is called bulgur, commonly used in Middle Eastern cuisine. Because of its wonderful nutty flavor and short cooking time, it is an excellent grain for breakfast cereal. Bulgur is very tasty simply simmered in water with a little butter, cinnamon and nutmeg. Wheat germ, when toasted, is a crunchy addition to cereal, and wheat bran provides valuable fiber. Wheat germ and wheat bran can be purchased in supermarkets; wheat berries, wheat flakes and bulgur can be found in health food stores. Cooking times: wheat berries, 1 to 3 hours; wheat flakes, 12 minutes; bulgur, 15 minutes.

* RYE: Rye is not an important commercial crop in the United States, but is fundamental to many European cuisines. It has an earthy flavor that contributes to a good multi-grain cereal. Available in flakes at health food stores. Cooking time: 15 to 20 minutes.

* BARLEY: A lot of people associate the rich flavor of barley with mushroom barley soup, not breakfast cereal. It’s available in whole kernels, pearl barley and barley flakes at health foods stores. Cooking time: whole kernel barley, 1 hour and 15 minutes; pearled barley, 30 minutes; barley flakes, 15 minutes.

* TRITICALE: Pronounced trit-i-kay-lee, this high-protein cereal grain is a man-made cross between wheat and rye. Available in flakes at health food stores. Cooking time: 15 to 20 minutes.

* CORN: Yellow cornmeal is a quick-cooking, flavorful grain. Mix it with other grains, or eat it alone with milk, a little sugar and fresh berries. When making cornmeal mush or polenta, always pour the cornmeal into boiling water gradually and steadily while whisking vigorously, to avoid lumping. Available in supermarkets and in health food stores. Cooking time: 15 to 20 minutes.

* MILLET: A staple of Asia and Africa, millet is relatively unknown in this country. It is a delicate grain with a nutty flavor. Available in health food stores. Cooking time: 30 minutes.

* RICE: We don’t often think of rice as a breakfast food, but many other countries do. The flavor of white rice pales in comparison to unpolished brown rice, which has a texture that holds up well in hot cereals. Available in supermarkets and health food stores.

* NUTS, SEEDS AND DRIED FRUITS: Unsalted nuts and seeds add a crunchy texture to cereals, hot or cold. For more flavor, try toasting nuts in a 200-degree oven. Walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, raisins, currants, dried apricots, dates, apples, unsweetened coconut flakes and figs are all good to add to your cereal mix. Available at supermarkets and health food stores.

* FRESH FRUIT: Just about any kind of fresh fruit blends well with cereal. Some of the best are berries, bananas, peaches, apples and pears. Try cooking cereals with part apple juice or stirring in apple sauce or pureed pears; add berries just before serving.

Muesli was the invention of a famous Swiss doctor who successfully treated children with rickets by feeding them this cold cereal three times a day. It is traditionally eaten raw after an overnight soak in water or milk. I like the cereal’s texture when mixed with milk right at the breakfast table. This is my favorite version.

MUESLI

7 cups old-fashioned or steel-cut rolled oats (not instant)

1 cup toasted wheat germ

1 cup toasted wheat bran

1 cup raisins

1 cup chopped pitted dates

1 cup sliced almonds

Combine oats, wheat germ, wheat bran, raisins, dates and almonds in bowl. Mix well and store in airtight container. Serve with milk. Makes about 12 cups.

Variations: Add fresh fruit just before serving.

Replace milk with yogurt.

Stir in honey just before serving.

In place of almonds, use walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts, or a combination of these.

Soak cereal in orange or apple juice overnight.

This isn’t really a pudding, but the primary elements of this old-fashioned dessert make a great hot breakfast cereal with less of the characteristic richness. If you cook the rice the night before, cool it, cover with a moist paper towel and refrigerate-- the dish is quick to put together in the morning.

BROWN RICE “PUDDING”

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

4 cups cooked brown basmati rice or regular brown rice

1/3 cup golden raisins

1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

Combine milk, butter, vanilla, cinnamon and brown sugar in medium saucepan. Bring to boil. Add rice and raisins, breaking apart with wooden spoon. Return to boil. Reduce heat to low. Stir in orange zest. Cover and simmer until most of liquid is absorbed, about 5 to 7 minutes. Serve immediately. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

HOMEMADE MULTI-GRAIN CEREAL

2 cups oats

1/2 cup rye flakes

1/2 cup barley flakes

1 cup wheat flakes

1/4 cup wheat bran

1/4 cup cornmeal

1/8 cup flax seeds

Combine oats, rye, barley and wheat flakes, wheat bran, cornmeal and flax seeds in bowl. Mix well. Cover and store in airtight container. Makes about 4 1/2 cups, about 20 (1/2-cup) servings of cooked.

Note: To cook for 1 serving, use 1 cup water for every 1/4 cup uncooked cereal. Bring water to boil, add cereal and simmer, partially covered, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Variations: Cook cereal in mixture of half water, half apple juice.

Stir 3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce or 1/2 banana, mashed, into each portion of cooked cereal.

Stir 1 teaspoon each of maple syrup and butter into each cooked portion.

Homemade granola is simple to make and costs about one-third the price of store-bought . Vary the mix by changing the grains, using more or fewer nuts, trying different dried fruits and increasing or decreasing the honey. This recipe makes a fairly flaky granola; if you prefer a chunkier granola, increase the quantity of oil.

HOMEMADE GRANOLA

1 cup wheat flakes

1 cup triticale flakes

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1 cup cashews, coarsely chopped

1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup safflower oil

3 tablespoons water, about

1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped

Combine wheat and triticale flakes, oats, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, cashews and coconut flakes in large bowl. Drizzle honey and water over cereal, then toss until grains are evenly coated. Add more water if grains aren’t sticking together.

Spread in even layer on baking sheet or in roasting pan. Bake at 275 degrees about 50 minutes or until golden brown, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in apricots. (Granola will be sticky, but will harden as it cools.) Cool completely. Store in airtight container. Makes about 8 cups.