I went to Prune recently with some friends, and one of my dining companions ordered the oatmeal with raisins and nuts. I, the always mouthy skeptic, said, "Who goes out to brunch and orders the oatmeal?" But when she switched plates for a bite of my eggs and merguez, I saw the light. Plump, silky whole oat grains were bathed in warm milk, topped with brown sugar and sensually accentuated with bursting soaked raisins and toothsome nuts. My companion had to wrest that plate back from my vice-like grip.
Old-fashioned, slow-cook oatmeal is completely different from its massacred quick-cook cousin. It's like the difference between a nice steak and ground beef -- the whole grains have texture galore, so they feel less like baby food and more like barley pearls. Both quick- and slow-cook oatmeal purportedly have cholesterol-fighting properties as well. According the the Quaker Oats nutritionist, the oat fiber gels in your innards, trapping cholesterol-rich bile acids like fruit cocktail in an aspic. That means one thing to me: more bacon, less guilt.
This past week I've been completely obsessed with oatmeal. I've been buying it every morning in the basement cafeteria, but the quick-cook oats they use are not as satisfying as the whole grains. Saturday night, my roommate and I decided to come up with something special to gussy up our morning porridge. This is oatmeal at its sexiest (!) and most luxurious, and it will convert even the staunchest oatmeal agnostic.
Sexy Oatmeal with Caramelized Bananas and Toasted Hazelnuts
Preparation time: 30 minutes
2 cups old-fashioned slow cook oatmeal
4 cups water
1/4 tsp. salt
3 ripe bananas
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
Juice of 1/2 an orange
1/2 cup hazelnuts (or nut of your choice: macadamia, pecan, walnut, etc.)
Milk
Cinnamon
Bring water to a boil. Add oats and salt and turn heat down to medium-low. Cook 20-25 minutes (yes, 20-25 minutes, I don't care what the Quaker oats box says), stirring increasingly as the oatmeal thickens and the grains plump.
As oatmeal cooks, heat a dry small saute pan over medium heat. Add hazelnuts and toast until fragrant and slightly golden, stirring or tossing in the pan constantly so they don't burn. Set aside when done.
When the oatmeal is done, turn the heat down very low and cover to keep warm. Slice the bananas in half, lengthwise. Melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and orange juice til sugar has melted and mixture begins to bubble. Add sliced bananas. Cook for one minute on one side, then flip slices and cook for one minute more on the other side. Break slices into thirds or quarters with spatula.
Fold bananas and nuts into oatmeal or garnish oatmeal with bananas and nuts on top. Dust lightly with cinnamon and serve with milk on the side.
Serves 2-4, depending on how much you like to eat in the morning
Yay!!! Oatmeal *is* sexy.
Oatmeal is so important. You have to try McCann's Original Steel-Cut Irish Oatmeal from the tin. There is no other oatmeal. They have it around at gourmetesque groceries.
i also always thought it was silly to get oatmeal out somewhere until i tried the oatmeal at city bakery. there is something great about the consistency of their oatmeal. plus, you can load up on as many toppings as you want.
I really wanted to get the McCann's but I went to Garden of Eden because it was the only shop on the way home that would carry it and the tin of oats (which was half the size of the $2.69 Quaker canister) was $8! I was appalled. I often go into Garden of Eden and walk out empty handed because I can't bring myself to let them take all my money. I'd rather give my money to Dean and Deluca -- at least I can have fun taking mental notes and dreaming of all the expensive items I can't afford.
I love salt in my oatmeal. I think the salt is as important as any other topping. I also love maple syrup. We should have an oatmeal brunch. I bet oatmeal with crumbled bacon and maple syrup would be super delicious. I love bacon and maple syrup.
You might want to try oatmeal the way my chinese mom makes it. Old-fashioned oatmeal cooked creamy style (start in cold water), add a beaten egg when cooked (like egg drop soup) and swirl in some sweetened condensed milk. There's no comparison to those fruity concoctions. Don't get me wrong, I love fruit, yogurt and kashi go lean, but having grown up on oatmeal made this way, I can never have another!
Get your McCann's from Sahadi's on Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn...$3.99 a can (how DO they do it?). Great blog--I absolutely respect your food taste and writing!
My perfect oatmeal, adapted from my best friend's mother's concoction--who packed these up in individual ziploc bags as a christmas gift to me so all i had to do was dump in a bowl and go...that's love.
Bettina's (now) Infamous Oatmeal:
In a bowl, mix:
1/2 cup old-fashioned oatmeal (I like Bob's Red Mill Rolled Oats)
heavy shake(s) of cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 tablespoon-ish raisins
2 tablespoon-ish dried cranberries
2 tablespoon-ish chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon-ish creamed honey
2/3 cup water
DO NOT COVER
Micro 2 min., then swirl in some whole milk.
Never gets tiresome.