Brown Sugar Oatmeal with Rose Cream
I daydream practically constantly about finding a glamorous, healthy, and fortifying morning routine -- some magical combination of fiber, sweat-free fitness, and a stunningly faithful commitment to The Artist’s Way (or breakfast as Colette does it, above). Most mornings, I usually just manage a coffee and not to teeter into the brink of depression, which, of course, is still a lot. But I’m convinced I’d probably be a Yoncé, if only I could find something to eat every morning that didn’t make me feel nauseated.
But then I fell into a simple, uncomplicated love with oatmeal: with one warm and perfect bowl of sweetened milky oats, it was like my entire day more or less began to harmonize into a glorious symphony of productivity and power. I’m still daydreaming about being better, and getting back into yoga, obviously, but I’m able to do all that fantasizing now with a lot more energy.
Eat a plain, homely bowl of oatmeal and feel virtuous and clever, like a pioneer poet. Drop something fancy like brown sugar oatmeal with rose cream into your morning mix, and revel in your morning genius.
What:
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup heavy cream/double cream or plain quark*
- ½ cup oats
- plenty of brown sugar
- 2 tbsps rosewater
- a pinch of vanilla bourbon (Germany is into this; use a bit of the beans scraped from a vanilla pod if you like, or just omit it!)
- pinch of salt
How:
- toast the oats in a dry skillet over a low to medium heat until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes (or more, depending in your heat/attention level)
- combine milk, water and oats in a small saucepan, and set over low heat
- stirring when you remember, bring the oats to a gentle boil. Add a pinch of salt, and then turn down the heat to let the oats cook a bit more, until the consistency is juuuust right
- meanwhile, in another bowl, whisk together the rosewater with the cream or quark; add vanilla and sugar or honey to taste – it shouldn’t be too sweet but it can be
- when your oats are finished, dust them in brown sugar, and pour a moat of rose cream around the edges, or a spoonful of the velvety quark in the center, and stir. Enjoy!
* quark is a crème-fraiche type German dairy product, a heavier (in texture) and milder (in taste) stand-in for sour cream. It’s delicious sweetened with vanilla and honey over fruit and with müsli; with herbs, it’s a perfect dip for Ruffles chips and emotional eating while watching Broad City; here, it’s an enricher of the oats, making them velvety and perfumed.
- Lydia