Cooking with Breakfast Cereal

[Varmint]

I had to get into the office early this morning, so I scarfed down a quick bowl of raisin bran. As I was eating, I started to wonder whether any breakfast cereals could be used in cooking high-end meals. Now I'm not talking about corn flake crusted fried chicken or rice krispie treats. I'm wondering, how Grant Achatz would used puffed rice or shredded wheat?? Could Steve Klc make something interesting with Cap'n Crunch or Apple Jacks? There's got to be tons of possibilities out there (perhaps none of them worthwhile), but if chefs can do something creative with the concept of caramel corn, why not with Honey Nut Cheerios??

[Explorer]

That's a good and intriguing concept, but I would rather have them use natural products, and not ones that have preservatives such as some of the commercial products mentioned.

[Sandra Levine]

Cream of Wheat (right out of the box, uncooked) can be used as a "breading" for fish, and< I guess, chicken.

[guajolote]

At the Ritz Carlton in Chicago they serve Corn Flake encrusted French Toast for breakfast. I've made it at home too, it's good.

[Rachel Perlow]

I presume Raisin Bran Muffins don't count, but I suppose the recipe for the muffins could be adjusted to make a cake similar to carrot cake.

[Jaymes]

Fried ice cream.

[Rail Paul]

I regularly grind a half cup of Kashi and add it to my yeast mixture prior to forming bread dough. That's in lieu of whole wheat flour. Adds a nice crunch and specks of different colors to the bread. It would probably make a nice flatbread as a base for an amuse, too.

Different ingredients, relatively low processing of the grains compared to cereals.

I've considered adding the same mix to cooked parsnips, mashed potatoes, etc, but haven't done so yet.

[elyse]

There was a NYT article a couple of months ago on this topic. If I find it I'll post it. Or if someone has the will and a fast computer, be my guest.

[jackal10]

What about all those chocolate and corn flake refirgerator cookies/cakes?

Crushed corn flakes can substitute for bread crumbs for a crispy coating.

[lizziee]

Michel Richard has been incorporating breakfast cereals in both his savory and sweet dishes. He has topped mushroom soup with rice crispies for crunch. In his "Reese's Baby Croquembouche" (Art Culinaire #54) he uses Cocoa puffs cereal mixed with melted milk chocolate to form the croquembouche.

[Varmint]

Michel Richard has been incorporating breakfast cereals in both his savory and sweet dishes. He has topped mushroom soup with rice crispies for crunch. In his "Reese's Baby Croquembouche" (Art Culinaire #54) he uses Cocoa puffs cereal mixed with melted milk chocolate to form the croquembouche.

Now this is the type of thinking and creativity that I was looking for! As nasty as breakfast cereal is, it packs a big flavor punch. Plus, the textures are varied but relatively unique.

Chefg? Steve Klc? Anyone else?

[Ladybug]

My mom invented a recipe for a healthy snack similar to a Rice Krispies treat. Instead of Rice Krispies, she uses Fiber One or All-Bran cereal, usually with a bit of Grape-Nuts mixed in. She also adds diced dried fruit, wheat germ, flax seed and/or oat bran, sometimes toasted nuts and also natural peanut, almond or cashew butter. She mourns that she can't find anything to replace the marshmallow to make it completely healthy. She calls this creation "Fiber Balls" or "Chewy Kablooies" or even "Colon Bombs." They're actually very tasty and have tons of fiber.

[Rhea_S]

Pierre Herme has at least a couple of recipes that use Rice Krispies. But then Rice Krispies are quite neutral and can be added to almost anything to add crunchiness.