This is what I like to call a BenGusto Original. Dun duh duh duuuuh! (the mighty trumpet sounds)
A BenGusto Original is something I completely made up without having any idea that anything like it had ever been done before. I thought about how the top of a crème brûlée would taste on a baked oatmeal, and, well, before I knew it I was whisking some eggs, chopping some strawberries, waving a flame torch around, and generally messing up the kitchen as I normally do. But I succeeded, and the creation can now be presented in a neat and orderly fashion.
As it turns out, oatmeal brûlées are a thing. But I can assure you, mine is different than any other recipe you’ll find online.
And by different I mean better.
Oh, and one more thing. If you don’t have a torch (or don’t want to risk burning your eyebrows off), then you can leave out the last step of spreading sugar on top and caramelizing it. It will taste just as good without the brûlée part.
Strawberry Oatmeal Brûlée
- 1/3 cup Steel-Cut Oats
- 1 2/3 cup Water
- 1/4 cup Milk (whole or 2%)
- 1 large Egg
- 3 large Strawberries
- pinch of Salt
- 1 1/2 tsp. Brown Sugar
- dash of Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 2 tbsp. Granulated Sugar
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Bring the water to a boil in a small pot.
Add the oats to the water and cook according to package’s instructions (usually about 20 minutes are needed for steel-cut oats).
As the oats cook, blend the strawberries with the milk in a blender fitted with a steel blade. Pour the strawberry-milk into a small bowl.
Whisk the egg into the strawberry-milk, add the pinch of salt, and set aside.
The egg is incorporated and ready to be whisked.
Once the oats have cooked, add the cinnamon and vanilla extract to it and mix. Spread it out in a shallow gratin dish.
Pour the strawberry-milk mixture on top of the oats. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the strawberry milk top hardens.
Take it out of the oven and let it cool for five minutes. Before eating, sprinkle the granulated sugar on top and blow torch it to create a hardened surface. Buon appetito!
The oatmeal without the “brûlée” touch.
