I came across a card I had written out for "Cherry Cobbler Oatmeal" from our summer neighbour on Seymour Beach, Evie. Alan & I had joined their family for a skiing weekend in Michigan and Evie had made this oatmeal one morning. It was so good, I wrote the recipe down. Unfortunately, it was like so many other recipes in that box, untried and mostly forgotten about. Until this week.
I don't keep dried apples on hand but I happened to see them in the bulk section of our natural foods store. The texture of the dried apples after soaking overnight and being cooked in the oatmeal was wonderful. They were like little pieces of apple right out of an apple pie. I also used some chopped dried apricots and they were great, too. If you want to be truly decadent, use dried cherries. In a perfect world, I would keep a jar of those on hand at all times! I think that the full amount (1/2 cup) of brown sugar makes the oatmeal a little too sweet for breakfast, but you can decide that when you're making it. A little bit of cream or milk to pour over the top, some bacon on the side, and you have a delicious breakfast for the cold days of March.
Apple Cobbler Oatmeal
2 c. apple juice (or prune juice)
2 c. water
1/2 c. dried fruit (apples, apricots, cherries, or cranberries), chopped
2 c. quick-cook oatmeal
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 to 1/2 c. brown sugar - to taste
2 T. butter
1/2 c. finely chopped walnuts (optional)
1. In a large bowl, soak the dried fruit in the apple juice and water. Cover and keep in the fridge overnight.
2. In the morning, bring the mixture to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the oatmeal and stir for 1 minute. Cover and and remove from heat. Let sit for a few minutes.
3. Before serving, stir in the cinnamon, brown sugar, butter, and nuts (if using). Serves 8-10 people.
