WEEK 35: YOUR BEST PORRIDGE
Overnight Steel-Cut Oats with Almond
Butter and Honey
Photography by Sarah Shatz
BY YING | SERVES 2 TO 3
A&M: We’ll admit that before this contest, we were somewhat bemused by the recent slow-cooker revival. Ying’s porridge helped change our minds. We love her idea of using a slow-cooker as a bain-marie, and what better way to be greeted on a chilly morning than with a steaming batch of steel-cut oats, ready for a dollop of rich, toasty almond butter and a swirl of honey. (If you don’t have almond butter, any nut butter will do.) We’ll take this over Wheaties any day.
1 cup whole milk
½ cup steel-cut oatmeal
Pinch of salt
¼ cup almond butter
2 to 3 tablespoons flavorful honey
- In a 4-cup glass measuring jug, stir together 2 cups water, the milk, oatmeal, and salt. Place the jug in a large slow-cooker, add enough water to come halfway up the side of the jug, switch the slow-cooker to “low,” and go to bed.
- In the morning, stir in the almond butter and honey. There will be a tablespoon’s worth of grain clumped together at the bottom of the glass jug; it needs only to be mixed in. Serve. You’ll have a halo of warmth around you for the rest of the morning.
Photography by Sarah Shatz
TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
Lindachoi said: “You can also do this without the slow-cooker—I use a regular pan, put the oats into boiling water, boil for a minute, and turn off and just leave it sitting out overnight. It’s done in the A.M. If you’re skittish about leaving food out, you can also refrigerate.”
ABOUT THE COOK
Ying S. Lee is a writer in Kingston, Ontario.
Her favorite recipe from a cookbook: “Beef Rendang from James Oseland’s Cradle of Flavor. Better than my mother’s.”
Her top entertaining tips:
“Start cooking earlier than you think you’ll need to!”
“Do a make-ahead dessert. At that point in the meal, you want to be at the table with your friends, not flambéing something in the kitchen.”
Here’s her website: www.yslee.com.
WHAT THE COMMUNITY SAID
freshparsley: “I use my rice cooker to make oatmeal. Simply set it up as you would for rice. In the time it takes me to shower, the oats are ready. The Irish steel-cut oats are the best tasting. Nice thing about the rice cooker is that it keeps the oats warm once they are cooked.”
KelseyTheNaptimeChef: “What a delicious recipe! I love the slow-cooker, such a great solution to many things. I am particularly taken with your use of almond butter and honey in the oats—that just might be my favorite combination for oatmeal yet! Perfect timing too; my maple syrup and cream is getting a little repetitive.”