S T I C K Y F I G S + R U N N Y H O N E Y
We ventured out for a sushi dinner yesterday and it was the first time this year I wished my khaki coverup was more of a snuggly, sheepskin parka - it was really nippy!
Part of me is by no means disappointed though. Despite it's pitfalls, like the inevitability of me picking up some kind of bug, and the fact that I look forward to each new season as the last comes to an end, Autumn is my favourite. I find that my tastes in food really start to change too, away from fresh salads, and towards comforting and restorative - in fact, salads and raw veg become the last thing I want ;)
Today's non-recipe is something I've been craving most mornings - it's just the very perfect combination of toppings to adorn an otherwise, plain and ordinary bowl of oats.
P.S if you'd like to take a preliminary guess at how many times I say 'sticky' in this post. I'll tell you at the end ;)
Dates and figs. Things I have quite the fondness of. I could happily sit and nibble a handful of sticky, juicy Medjool dates, and figs roasted with a drizzle of something sweet and glutinous are heaven, especially when the cut side gets all toasty and burnished. Strawberries likewise thrive with the same treatment, and their little tinge of fresh acidity makes for the perfect partner to the sticky fig. Finish that off with some broken hazlenuts and honeycomb for crunch, and I'll be down for breakfast quicker than you can say 'six sticky little figgies'.
I feel like each person's porridge recipe is different, and you can swap in all kinds of alternatives like almond milk, but today I'm sticking with my go-to, base recipe.
INGREDIENTS
Porridge Base:
175g rolled oats
650ml whole milk
A pinch of sea salt
3-4 figs, halved
4-5 strawberries, halved
Honey
60g (or a handful) of hazlenuts, roughly chopped
Honeycomb:
100g golden caster sugar
2 tbsps golden syrup
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
METHOD
one. // Preheat your oven to 190 degrees celcius, and line a metal baking dish with greaseproof.
two. // For the honeycomb, gently melt the sugar and syrup in a saucepan over a low heat - don't let it bubble at this point.
three. // Once completely dissolved, turn up the heat and simmer until the mixture turns a lovely, rich amber colour. Quickly add the bicarb and stir with a wooden spoon - it'll froth up - and scoop into the dish lined with greaseproof. Leave to cool for at least an hour until firm, before breaking into chunks (a forceful tap with a utensil handle does the trick).
four. // Place the halved fruit into an oven-proof dish and drizzle with as much or as little honey as you fancy. Place into the oven for 20 minutes, or until burnished and sticky.
five. // For the porridge, add the oats and milk into a saucepan over a medium heat. Season with a teeny pinch of salt (and the tiniest twist of pepper is actually quite nice here too), simmer, and stir with a wooden spoon for around 5 minutes. Add a drop more milk for a more runny consistency.
six. // Assemble. Pour the cooked oats into bowls and top with half of the fruit each, plus a helping of their sticky cooking juices. Sprinkle on a few chopped hazlenuts and chunks of honeycomb. Eat on the cusp of 'too hot', or if you're like me, lukewarm.
Topping this delicious bowl off with honeycomb is a bit of a treat, but I can't resist how it's edges melt into the porridge and pool into little sticky, sugary spots.
Writing this post has made me pretty hungry in fact - hope you're all having a wonderful weekend, I'm off to make a bowl of this right now!
P.S, the answer is seven ;)
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