Shopping List: Luxury Granola

Luxury granola sounds like an oxymoron. After all, the association of granola and hippiedom is so ingrained that the term "crunchy-granola" has made it into the The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (fourth edition):

crunchy-granola (crunch·y-gra·no·la): adjective, slang, displaying liberal social attitudes and lifestyles associated with the 1960s: “There's a distinct crunchy-granola flavor to much of the area, with macrobiotic restaurants, earring vendors on the street. . .”

Despite its baggage, a number of gourmet granolas have emerged which threaten to wrest granola's identity away from the hacky sack-playing hordes. These high-end granolas, with premium ingredients and high prices, are the caviar of cereal society. If you are willing to splurge on a luxury breakfast, Alice Waters' Cafe Fanny produces an excellent granola, as does Nancy Silverton's La Brea Bakery (link).

Now, I'm not trying to start another East Coast-West Coast battle, but one of the best gourmet granolas of the bunch comes not from California, but from local bakery Sweet Melissa Patisserie in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. The granola from Sweet Melissa, pictured above, combines oats and rye flakes with almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, currants, green and golden raisins, dried cherries, honey, and spices.

Sweet Melissa's granola is $7.95 for a one pound bag at Sweet Melissa Patisserie, 276 Court Street, Brooklyn, New York (718.855.3410).