Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Oatmeal wishes, blackberry dreams


Oatmeal plus skim milk plus blackberries plus a smidge of sugar. Simple and yet it might have been the best bowl of oats ever.

My awesome oats came courtesy of the breakfast buffet at the Marriott, where Mark and I stayed for the wedding last weekend. While I was mildly tempted by the biscuits and gravy, I opted for an egg white-veggie omelet, fresh fruit and, in place of toast, a cup of oats splashed with milk and fresh blackberries.

The omelet would normally be the star of the show, especially after watching the chef make it, but there was something about the oats. The texture. The flavor. The combo of the milk and berries. I was in love. So in love, in fact, that I tried to re-create the oats (subbing bananas for blackberries) yesterday morning.

My new concoction can be summed up in one word: Fail.

I totally missed the mark on the texture. They seemed undercooked and soupy, even though I followed the directions. Ugh. I've since tried to Google my way to the secret but all I can come up with is make a big batch and let it sit around. My years of restaurant work clued me into that.

In my search, though, I did find one thing: a recipe for oats that sounds sort of delightful. I might even have to try it ... sooner rather than later.

Orange Banana Date Oatmeal


2 cups orange juice
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
3/4 cup chopped dates or raisins
1 medium-size ripe banana, mashed

In a medium saucepan, bring juice, water, salt and nutmeg to a boil. Stir in oats and dates.

Return to a boil; reduce heat. Cook 1 minute for quick oats or 5 minutes for old-fashioned oats, or until most of the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally.

Stir in banana. Let stand until of desired consistency.

No comments:

Post a Comment