Porridge of the Week SPECIAL

Porridge of the Week
Fruity crumble porridge

The other night, whilst mindlessly surfing the internet, I was hit suddenly with an exciting fact- that tomorrow (Monday, 10th October) was World Porridge Day. After my initial amazement that this event had somehow escaped my discovery until this point, I gathered myself together and began feverishly planning a recipe for the morning that was worthy of the occasion. I decided the recipe should involve a certain degree of preparation and should ideally use some seasonal or hand made ingredients. Having a box full of harvested apples from a friends garden, I decided on Apple Crumble Porridge, a deconstruction of the classic British pudding, using home made compote and granola. I set about cooking it up immediately.

This recipe involves more preparation than the average porridge, but it's worth the extra effort, and has a luxury finish that I think is worthy of the occasion. The blackberries give it a really rustic homely touch.

So.

The night before you will be eating the porridge, start by making the apple compote. Peel and chop cooking apples. In a pan, melt some butter and the apples with a dash of hot water and four tablespoons of brown sugar, a sprinkling of cinnamon and a vanilla pod. Simmer until the apples break down and thicken. This should take about half an hour. Keep it thick and chunky, or puree with a hand blender if you wish.

Make the granola- the recipe for which can be found here.

Leave the compote in the pan overnight for the vanilla to infuse. In the morning, heat up your porridge and add a small sprinkling of nutmeg. Remove from the heat and spoon in a spoonful of compote and a handful of fresh blackberries, and blueberries if you wish. Tip into a bowl and top with extra compote. Sprinkle generously with granola and serve!

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Porridge of the Week #29

Porridge of the Week #29
Cherry and Acai Berry

Category: Healthy

In a pan, mix your oats (I use the Waitrose oats with wheatbran) with a large spoonful of milled flaxseed. Pour in two tablespoons of blended Acai Berry. Taking a handful of fresh cherries, remove the stone and chop into large chunks. Tip into the pan with a some berry smoothie or a red fruit juice and top up to the consistency you prefer with water. Warm the pan, stirring throughout.

I love this porridge! With the wheatbran, flax and Acai berry, it's a great healthy start as well as being really warm and fruity. Not hard work at all!
Acai is one of the top Super Foods, high in antioxidents, packed with vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C and E. As well as this, it is good for the heart, immune system, energy levels, whilst encouraging healthy hair and skin. You cannot get enough of this berry!

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Porridge of the Week # 25

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Porridge of the Week #25
Stewed apple and blueberry

Category: Healthy
Prepare the apple by chopping and peeling a large apple and microwaving with a small amount of water and a teaspoon of sugar till softened into a chunky puree. Wet the porridge oats with a grape or apple juice and put onto the heat. Tip in the stewed apple and a sprinkling of dried blueberries (optional, but the add a bit of chew and are sweeter than the fresh). Add a half a cup of fresh blueberries and stir through. This is all- your porridge is ready!

This is a nice, light and fruity porridge. It's healthy and very summery. I find you need something like that in the morning during these dark days.

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Porridge of the Week #14

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Porridge of the Week #14

Birchermueseli

Category: Healthy

Fill a bowl with porridge oats. Cover with enough milk or apple juice (I would use apple juice) to moisten and cover, chilled, for at least an hour, or overnight. When it is ready, grate an apple into the porridge oats mix. Add a scattering of raisins and mixed seeds (make sure you only do this before serving, and not before you leave it to soak- swollen raisins and soft seeds are grim!). Stir in a fruit yoghurt- enough to make it thick and creamy.
Serve into bowls and top the cold mix with mixed fruit. You could either go for local seasonal berries such as blueberries and blackberries, or create a tropical version with mango, pineapple, etc. Chopped apple, pear and banana is also good.
Finally, top with a few roasted almonds or chopped hazelnuts.

This porridge was inspired by my recent trip to Vienna, where birchermueseli frequents most breakfast menus. After doing the rodgrod med flode, I wanted to do another International Porridge. Expect some future P.O.T.Ws from other distant climes!
This isn't a traditional porridge in that it is served cold, but its great for if you aren't really in a porridge mood (Sometimes, occasionally, it happens...) or can be really elegant to serve to guests!

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Morning my Darlings!

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Good morning! I'm in such a good mood today. Breakfast can do that to me.
It is oft said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and this is something I firmly believe in. Nothing offends me more than people who skip breakfast (Apart from maybe bad grammar...)

My holy grail in life is to achieve the nutritionally perfect breakfast. I research all the contrasting theories surrounding the best things you should eat, and in what quantities- but that's a long long story for another today.

Today it was sunny, so I woke up feeling amazing anyway. This led to making celebration smoothie- banana and strawberry. I used the leftover to make smoothie porridge. Healthy, and good hot or cold! I must say I'm actually very taken with it chilled.

Whilst I'm on the topic of smoothies and porridge, let me recommend this for you-

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Breakfast Smoothie

Often in the summer I'm just not feeling the warm heaviness of porridge, even though I do love it. I like to get the same good porridge benefits but with an uber summer vibe by making a breakfast smoothie.

Simply blend yoghurt, soya milk (go on, live dangerously) with mixed oats and a bit of cereal- I find muesli is best, especially if you get one with nuts and lots of dried fruit.
Tip in a cup of frozen berries. Not only does this make it super fresh and cheap, its also much more economical! Blend it all up into a thick, cold, beautifully coloured mush in a food processor- it will have the consistency of textured sorbet.

Finally, top with some mixed fresh berries and crushed fruit and fibre. Just looking at it makes me feel as good as I do when I drink it.

Voila!

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Emma's Baking!

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Chocolate cake with a chocolate topping

Fruited teacake with cashews, walnuts, apricots and raisins.

Thankyou to Em for sending me these pictures from your lovely little country kitchen ^_^ I love all the contributions that have been coming in recently, y'all get baking!!



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