My Motto

May the muffin rise to greet you, may your friends be always at your door, and until we meet again, warm a single-malt in the palm of your hand and make something homemade for someone you love.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Irish Oatmeal Brulee

"You have to eat oatmeal or you'll dry up.  Anyone knows that."
~Kay Thompson (Eloise)

The other day I had my mother over for dinner so she could catch up with Curtis, since he's only home for a week.  She brought me a couple of issues of Taste of Home and this recipe (April/May '11) struck me.  I couldn't wait to make it, and it did not disappoint.  This is not the oatmeal you had at camp, folks.

I woke up needing something comforting.  First of all, Curtis set up a slackline in the yard, and encouraged me to try it.
Do not try this at home.
It IS an amazing core workout though ;-)
Not that I needed much encouraging, since it looked fun.  Simply trying was a great workout although now, a day later, when I walk you can hear an audible "ow" "ow" "ow."  In addition to that, after having rain, murk and gloom for 10 straight days, the sun finally came out and I could not resist soaking up as much as I could, resulting in....yes, you guessed it...a nice fry on my milky Irish skin.
After surviving my night of pain, the warm, sweet and satisfying comfort of this dish was the perfect medicine.  Now, in the past oatmeal would not be my first choice in the morning, although I would eat it now and then because it's good for you.  This is a different story though...not a breakfast to plod through...one to savor and look forward to.  A real treat.

Irish Oatmeal Brulee
8 cups milk 
2 cups steel cut oats
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise (optional)
1 orange peel strip (1 to 3 inches)
dash salt
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup maple syrup
cream, optional
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

In a large heavy saucepan, bring milk to a boil over medium heat.  Add the oats, cinnamon, orange peel and salt.  Reduce heat; simmer for 30 minutes or until thick and creamy, stirring occasionally.
Remove from the heat; discard cinnamon, star anise and orange peel.  Stir in the cranberries, raisins, syrup and a small amount of cream, if desired.  Cover and let stand for 2 minutes.
Transfer to eight ungreased 6 ounce ramekins.  Place on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with brown sugar.  Broil 8 inches from the heat for 4-7 minutes or until sugar is caramelized.  Serve  immediately.

9 comments:

Anne Steen-Tierney said...

Wow! That looks great! I will definitely have to make some. With 8 cups of milk, how many servings did this end up making?

Margaret Murphy Tripp said...

Thanks Anne! You divide it into 8 ramekins, which will give you eight nice-size servings.

Sue in Canada said...

LOL...My milky Irish skin also went a nice shade of red up in Sun Peaks last weekend. We get about 10 minutes of sun since last Summer and I burn? Whats up with that?
I may actually try this oatmeal...it sounds yummy

Mary Bergfeld said...

Margaret I'm amazed you have the balance required to walk on that. I'd be in the hospital :-). The oatmeal looks fantastic and I'll try it soon. Have a wonderful holiday. Blessings...Mary

Margaret Murphy Tripp said...

@Sue: Thanks for visiting the blog. I checked yours out and love it! Re: sunburn - really I should know better. Hope you get a chance to try the oatmeal!

@Mary: Thanks Mary, I was able to get up and balance for a few seconds, but never actually took a step without falling. It was fun trying though!

Anna Johnston said...

Looks sooo good, I spent the weekend baking in my brand new apartment kitchen, works a treat on meeting people in the building, was nice to see appreciative noses pointed in the air following the smells. It is cold and miserable my end, so very envious of your rosy sun touched skin right now. The tight rope looks like tons of fun, I wish I had a couple of trees I could hook up a rope and have a go at. Hope you had a wonderful weekend, and that the week brings you more lovely sunny days. :)

Margaret Murphy Tripp said...

Anna, congrats on your new kitchen! Yes, our seasons are opposite, aren't they? My son just returned from Cairns with lots of beautiful photos. Paradise over there! Have a great week! xo

Kimby said...

Ironically, just this morning I thought, "I should start eating oatmeal for breakfast again." Now I have no excuse!!

Margaret Murphy Tripp said...

Glad to help!