…aaand I’m back! Not blogging for the past month was tough and I seriously missed it, but at the same time I’m so glad I decided to take the hiatus. I felt like I needed to step back and reassess what it is I really want to be sharing with the world. Reclaiming the time I usually spend on cooking and writing for this blog allowed me to find inspiration in new places and brainstorm dozens of new recipe ideas, which I am so excited to start working on. Get ready - Chez Sasha 2.0 is comin’ atcha!
Now, let’s talk this steel-cut oatmeal recipe. I realize oatmeal is like the grandma-iest food of all time but I am determined to make it sexy. Prior to discovering steel-cut oats, I was a rolled oats purist, mostly using them to bulk up morning smoothies. Then one fine day, I picked up the wrong carton at the supermarket and ended up steel-cut oats. I couldn’t use them in smoothies since the grains are coarse so I was left with no choice but to cook them. Turns out, steel-cut oatmeal is creamier and way more texturally appealing than the traditional kind - it is now in my regular weekday breakfast rotation. Yes, steel-cut oats do take longer to cook, but they just quietly simmer away on the stove, leaving you free to take a shower, check your emails, freak out about being an adult with responsibilities, etc.
Oh, and about the compote: sweet-tart blueberries and floral basil are a killer combo. If I could declare this compote the official sauce of summer, I’d do it in heartbeat.
Creamy steel-cut oatmeal with blueberry-basil compote
This recipe makes one breakfast but several servings of compote, so you can refrigerate it and enjoy it throughout the week. Not a fan of oatmeal? Try the compote atop thick country toast with cream cheese. In times less bountiful (a.k.a. winter), you may use frozen organic blueberries instead.
(Yield - oatmeal: 1 serving; compote: about 2 1/2 cups)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1/4 cup steel-cut oats
- 3 teaspoons honey, divided
- 3 cups organic blueberries
- 8 large basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons
- 3 tablespoons water
Procedure:
1. In a small saucepan, bring almond milk to a boil. Turn heat down to low and add salt. Stir in oats and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thick and creamy, 12-14 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon honey.
2. Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, combine blueberries, basil, water and remaining 2 teaspoons honey. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until blueberries begin to burst and soften, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook until liquid thickens and becomes syrupy, about 3 minutes.
3. Serve oatmeal with 1/2 cup compote.
Do ahead: Compote can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container.
What is your go-to weekday breakfast?
Chez! Welcome back!
And what a stonker of a return this is. I don’t know how you managed it, but you’ve managed to make something very basic look incredibly exotic.
Thank you, Michael! Glad you like this.
Stonker - what a word!