Sometimes I like to explore the inverse of things.
The inverse of working is (clearly) laying on the couch watching really old episodes of Grey’s Anatomy.
The inverse of exercising is (clearly) laying on the couch watching really old episodes of Grey’s Anatomy.
The inverse of organizing my desk… Grey’s Anatomy. You catch my drift.
With this dish I wanted to explore the inverse of fruit-topped oatmeal, which is… not Grey’s Anatomy.
I usually cook my oatmeal on a stove top, spoon a hearty portion into a bowl and top with a few bites of fruit.
With this warm pan of goodness, I’ve baked heaps of sliced apples and fresh cranberries with just a bit of oats. Lost of fruit with less than lots of oatmeal. Whoa dude! With warm, steaming milk… this is bonkers delicious! It feels like breakfast dessert. Inverse accomplished.
Apple. Apple. Apple!
Three pretty Fuji apples. We have to start somewhere.
Fresh cranberries.
Every new cranberry season I enter, I pop a fresh cranberry in my mouth. It’s always unbearably tart… but I always try.
Our oatmeal.
It’s wholesome and spiced.
Sliced, spiced apples combined with fresh cranberries are topped with our moistened oatmeal mixture.
As far as news goes… this is really good news.
Oh… I forgot to tell you something about our breakfast.
Should you have a pint of Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Ice Cream in your freezer, this warm apple oat mixture can totally turn into dessert. Or you can just have ice cream for breakfast. No judgements here. None whatsoever.
A few things you should know: this oat and apple mixture doesn’t produce a lot of liquid while baking. The apples become soft and the cranberries burst (with happiness), but this isn’t a soupy situation. This breakfast dish is most lovely served with steamed milk or copious amounts of melting ice cream.
Oh! Should you be in the mood for more cranberry, this Pear and Cranberry Crumble is totally major (though not vegan).
Vegan Apple Cranberry Oatmeal Bake
makes 1 8×8-inch pan, serves 4 to 6
For the Fruit:
3 medium Fuji or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
6 ounces fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of ground ginger and ground cloves
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
For the Oatmeal:
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon water
2 cups milk, heated to steaming, for serving (almond milk to keep it vegan, cow’s milk if you prefer)
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, toss together apple slices, fresh cranberries, cornstarch, spices, and maple syrup. Toss with a spoon until cornstarch has disappeared into the mixture. Pour into an 8×8-inch square pan. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together oats, flour, spices, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and water. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, all at once. Toss together, ensuring that all of the dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon the oat mixture on top of the prepared fruit mixture. Toss just slightly with a spoon.
Place in the oven to bake until cranberries have burst and apples have softened, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
While oatmeal bakes, place milk in a small saucepan over low heat. Heat until milk is steamy hot, but not boiling.
Remove fruit and oats from the oven. Scoop into bowls and pour desired amount of steamed milk over mixture. Conversely, you can also scoop cold ice cream over the warm fruit mixture. Serve warm.
[…] your oatmeal with fruit, we should be creation this warm, slimey vessel of oatmeal integrity from Joy a Baker. The texture, a colors — I’m totally on […]