Toasted Oatmeal
By: Anonymous
Published: Sunday, February 14, 2010 - 3:03am

Ingredients




1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup steel-cut oats or Irish or Scottish
cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 pch coarse salt
1 cup honey
4 star anise
4 cinnamon sticks
cup brandy or apple juice (optional)
1 vanilla bean split and scraped
8 pitted prunes
12 dried apricot halves
cup golden raisins

Preparation

1 For the Oatmeal: Melt butter in a medium heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add oats, and toast, shaking pan and turning oats until browned and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add 4 cups water and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer until most of the water has evaporated and the oatmeal is tender, about 30 minutes for the Irish oatmeal, or 5 to 10 minutes for old-fashioned rolled oats. Serve hot with desired toppings. (Makes 4 cups) 2 For the Infused Honey: Warm honey, star anise, and cinnamon sticks in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Turn off heat; let rest for at least 30 minutes, or overnight. Serve over hot cereal. (Makes 1 cup) 3 For the Stewed Fruit: Place brandy, vanilla bean seeds and pod, prunes, apricots, and raisins in a medium saucepan with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer fruit until liquid is reduced by about three-quarters. Serve warm over hot cereal. (Makes 1 cup) 4 This recipe yields 4 servings.