Oatmeal Brulée

This is oatmeal at its finest!

Last October, my dearest friends from college and I all got together for a weekend in Norman, OK. While there, Shannon (our host) took us to a restaurant called Turquoise Cafe for breakfast. It was there that we had this wonderful dessert. I mean breakfast. It is THAT good! So I decided to try and replicate the oatmeal at home, and this is what I have come up with!

It tastes great, it looks pretty, and it uses a culinary torch (the fun part!) So give it a try this weekend and let me know what you think!

Oh...this recipe can be catered to your serving needs. The Crème Anglaise serves 6-10 and the rest of the ingredients (based on how you purchase them) will serve even more than that. You can make the sauce in advance and keep chilled so that everything is ready to assemble when you're ready to eat!

Oatmeal Brulée

oatmeal (I use Quaker Old Fashioned Oatmeal)
walnuts, chopped and toasted
dried cranberries
1-2 slices of dried mango per serving (I like the Mariani brand)
brown sugar
Crème Anglaise (recipe follows)

1. Cook the oatmeal according to package directions and according to the number of servings you need. I like to add the walnuts to the oatmeal towards the end of cooking, but you can add them on top later if you prefer.
2. While oatmeal is cooking, slice the dried mango into thin strips.
3. Distribute each serving of oatmeal onto deep plates. Top with cranberries and walnuts.
4. Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar on top of each serving of oatmeal and slightly flatten with the back of a spoon. Using a culinary torch, pass the flame evenly over the brown sugar until the sugar melts and turns light brown in places. The sugar will harden when cool.
5. Sprinkle dried mango slices on top of the melted sugar. Pour crème anglaise in a pool around the oatmeal. Serve immediately.

Crème Anglaise*

6 large egg yolks
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla

(You can substitute 2 cups whole milk OR 2 cups half-and-half for the milk and cream above.)

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until slightly thickened.
2. In a medium saucepan, pour milk and cook over medium heat, stirring, until bubbles form around the edges. Slowly whisk the hot milk into the bowl of egg yolks and sugar. Return this mixture to the saucepan.
3. Rinse out and dry the bowl, then set a fine sieve over the top.
4. Place the saucepan over low heat. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, stir the sauce gently but constantly, reaching the entire bottom of pan. As soon as the sauce is slightly thickened, remove the pan from the heat and stir gently for 2 minutes to complete the cooking. The sauce should be the consistency of heavy cream and read around 170° on a thermometer. Pour the sauce through the sieve and let cool for 10 minutes, stirring periodically to prevent a skin from forming on the surface.
5. Stir in vanilla. Serve warm with Oatmeal Brulée.

Yields about 2 cups, 6-10 servings.

*Recipe is from The Joy of Cooking. This sauce can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Allow to completely cool before covering and placing in refrigerator. To warm the sauce, set the container of sauce in hot, but not boiling, water and stir until warmed through.