Steel Cut Oats with Caramelized Apples

On these very cold mornings I have been starting my day with a hot bowl of oatmeal, McCANN'S Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal being my favorite. It's a good, healthy start, as we all know, but sometimes oatmeal alone can get a little boring without the addition of fruits, nuts, or other such tasty goodies.  Most of the time I add dried fruits,  Melissa’s blueberries and strawberries  being two of my favorites, and toss it in while the oatmeal is cooking, but today I was in an apple-y mood, so decided to caramelize some on the top of the stove while waiting for the oatmeal to cook.  It's easy to do, but if you're unsure how to make the apples, here is a simple recipe.

Steel Cut Oats with Caramelized Apples

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 large apples, peeled and sliced (any variety that suits you, or happen to be in your fridge)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Few gratings of fresh nutmeg

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Pinch of Kosher salt

Melt the butter in a medium-large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the apple slices, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, and salt, and toss to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are golden brown and caramelized, about 15 minutes. Arrange on top of steaming bowls of oatmeal. 

Serves 2.

Other fun ideas for oatmeal toppings are:

The Elvis Special - chopped salted peanuts and sliced bananas.

Tropical Isle - chopped macadamias, shredded coconut, and pineapple chunks.

Pumpkin Pie - 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice and 2 T. pumpkin purée.

Gimme Granola - raisins, chopped mixed nuts, flax seed, coconut flakes.

Chocolate Lover's Special - mini chocolate chips and a light swirl of Hershey's syrup.

S'Mores - crumbled graham crackers, mini marshmallows, mini chocolate chips.

Snicker Bar – chopped peanuts, mini chocolate chips, and a teaspoon of dark brown sugar.

I'm sure that you can come up with many more on your own,  based on your family's preferences. The important thing to remember is that you are enhancing the oatmeal, not overwhelming it.

This post is linked to:

Foodie Friday

Soul-satisfying Steel Cut Oats

It was with great anticipation that I awaited the arrival of this morning's New York Times, as the Wednesday issue (like the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and presumably every other national paper) has the beloved Food Section.  At this time of the year it usually means the year-end wrap-up of the best of the best recipes of 2010.  Boy, was I wrong!  While they may have been top recipes in the NYT the very thought of eating broiled sardines, codfish fritters with lamb sausage ragu, chili lobster (Really?  Lobster, in chili?  Why?!), or celery sorbet (Now come on!), made me want to hurl.


Do people really eat this?  And by people I do include the adventurous New Yorkers who, it would seem, are willing to intrepidly devour anything in the name of fashion.  I'll never forget watching, in horror, a food program featuring a New York restaurant that served not only beetles and other insects, but live worms to its willing patrons, the latter of which were cultivated by the proprietor on his apartment balcony.  Surely, I thought, the waitstaff must be peering out of the kitchen, holding their sides with laughter, as diners who paid top dollar in an effort to be trendy, consumed items that used to get my hands slapped by my mother along with the admonish, "Put that slimy thing down!"  (I can't say I disagree.)


So, instead of planning a special meal of recipes from theTimes, I fixed myself a bowl of soul-satisfying steel cut McCann's Irish Oatmeal, and ate it while I watched the rain fall.  Drizzled with cream, studded with raisins, and topped with brown sugar, I thought that nothing could be more appealing on this wintry day.

A Warming Winter Breakfast

Steel-Cut Oatmeal with a Crispy Maple Crust

Yesterday's temperature of 37 degrees was to be the high of the next week.  Days are turning colder and nights in the  mid-teens are absolutely frigid.  On days such as these it's important to start the day off right with a strengthening breakfast such as this delicious bowl of steel cut oats with a broiled topping and garnish of fruit.  McCann's Steel Cut Irish oats are the only oats for me.  They're deeply flavorful, hearty, and lend themselves well to any type of embellishment that you can manage to dream up while they're simmering away on the top of the stove.

 

To prepare this tasty dish, simply follow the directions on the oatmeal can (or box) to serve 4. While it's cooking combine 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar and 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans.  Once the oatmeal is done, divide it among four ovenproof bowls. Divide the brown sugar mixture among the bowls being certain to sprinkle the mixture over the entire surface of the oatmeal.

Heat the broiler to high and set the rack 5 to 6 inches from the heat source. Place the bowls on a baking sheet and broil in the oven for 1 to 3 minutes until dark brown and bubbly. Remove and sprinkle with dried cranberries, raisins, or dried cherries. Garnish with slices of banana. Serve with milk, if desired.

What a warm and healthy way to start the day.  Have a great weekend everyone!