Steel-Cut Oatmeal With Caramelized Apples

During the winter mornings of my youth (I really wanted to sound poetic there, sorry), my father never allowed me to leave for school before eating hot cereal. As a result, I remain, to this day, one of the only people I know who loves Cream of Wheat.

So I've passed on the "you have to eat a hot breakfast" thing to T, who seems to love it. We wake up every morning at 4 a.m. and I make him breakfast and pack him a lunch, and then I stumble back up to bed for a few more hours of sleep. EXTREME HOUSEWIFERY.

I was feeling fancy (thanks, Pink, for ruining that word for me) this weekend, and decided to caramelize some apples to put over the top of our regular steel-cut oatmeal (don't even get me started on that mush Quaker tries to pass off as oatmeal). It was lovely.

Steel-Cut Oatmeal with Caramelized Apples

• 3 cups water
• 1 cup steel-cut oats
• Pinch of salt
• Maple syrup, brown sugar, and/or milk to taste
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped
• 4 Tablespoons honey
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1. Bring the water and a pinch of salt to a boil, then stir in the oats. Allow the mixture to come back to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, for about 20 minutes or until all liquid has been absorbed.

2. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples start to brown. Add honey, a tablespoon at a time, when the pan gets too dry.

3. Serve the oatmeal once it's tender (but still crunchy!). Add maple syrup, brown sugar, and/or milk (or whatever else you like in your oatmeal), and top with apples. 





The best part about steel-cut oatmeal is that it has a great texture. Eating mushy oatmeal makes me feel like I'm stuck in a 19th-century British orphanage, and that's not a good feeling. Just ask Oliver Twist.