Oatmeal is my wintertime breakfast of choice, when I don’t have time for something more elaborate like pancakes or waffles. I’ll typically make it with brown sugar and raisins, but that can get boring, so I try to vary it up, adding new and interesting ingredients from time to time.
But it’s not often I get to use fresh fruit – fruit season and oatmeal season don’t overlap much. So, when I saw a box of raspberries at the farmer’s market this weekend, I knew I had to buy them and use them right away. I had already been pondering oatmeal for brunch, and thought I would mix them in. Oatmeal with raspberries! It would be perfect.
I got my berries home and set about making oatmeal – boil the water, add the oats, simmer until done. Except, as the oats were cooking, I found myself looking around for something to add that would complement the berries, and my nose was drawn to the mug of Earl Grey steeping on the counter. Tea in oatmeal? I pondered it. Why not? I poured half the mug into the oatmeal pot, and replenished the water in my mug. I let it cook a little more to absorb the tea, then added some maple syrup, stirred in the raspberries.
It was good! So good that I would do it again if I had the chance. Anything with raspberries could hardly fail to be good, but in this case the ingredients melded really nicely. In fact, I might try it again with frozen berries, which are both easier to come by and more economical. The berries made it luxurious, and the tea – a successful experiment – gave it a hint of sophistication. Next time, I would add the tea at the beginning, in place of most of the water, or else I might steep a tea bag as the water heated up. Either way, I’d look for a stronger flavor.
And I regret that I don’t have pictures. This was one of those spontaneous dishes that I didn’t think to photograph until I’d eaten half of it.
I’m still on the lookout for more fun oatmeal toppings. Any suggestions?