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Ingredients
Method
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Spread the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat. Shake the pan every 30 seconds or so. After about 3 to 4 minutes the skins will start to blister and you will smell a warm, slightly sweet nuttiness. Tip them onto a clean tea towel, fold it over and rub to remove the loose skins. Set aside.
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In the same frying pan, melt the butter over a medium heat until it foams. Add the rolled oats and stir continuously with a wooden spoon. You are looking for the oats to turn a pale gold and to smell faintly of biscuit , this takes about 4 minutes. Do not walk away; they catch quickly once they start to colour.
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Pour in the cold water first and stir. The oats will hiss and absorb it almost immediately. Then pour in the milk and cream together. Stir to combine and reduce the heat to low.
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Add the honey and the vanilla extract. Stir again and leave to cook gently, stirring every minute or so, for 7 to 8 minutes. The mixture will thicken gradually. You want it loose enough to fall slowly from the spoon , not stiff, not watery. If it tightens too much, add a splash of milk.
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Remove the pan from the heat. Add the pinch of sea salt and stir once more. The salt lifts the honey without making the oats taste savoury; do not skip it.
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Divide between two bowls. Scatter the toasted hazelnuts over the top and drizzle a little extra honey over each portion. Serve immediately.
Irish Context
Ireland grows a significant proportion of its oats in the midlands and the west, where the damp, cool growing conditions suit the crop well. The oats sold in most Irish shops are milled domestically and are noticeably fresher than imported alternatives.
Paired with honey from any one of the small Irish beekeeping operations found across the country, this recipe uses two ingredients that are genuinely produced here in quantity and to a good standard.
Tips
Use proper rolled oats here, not jumbo or quick-cook. Jumbo oats stay too chewy at this cooking time; instant oats go gluey within seconds of hitting the liquid.
The toasting step is what separates this from plain porridge. Raw oats cooked in cream are fine, but they taste flat.
The colour you are aiming for in the pan is the colour of pale shortbread. Irish wildflower honey varies considerably in flavour depending on the season and the supplier.
A darker, stronger batch will make the oats taste almost caramel-like. A lighter honey keeps things more delicate.
Both work; just taste as you go. If you are making this for one, halve the quantities but keep the pan size the same.
A smaller pan will cause the oats to catch on the bottom before they are cooked through. Leftovers firm up considerably in the fridge.
To reheat, add a splash of milk and warm slowly in a saucepan over a low heat, stirring until loosened. Do not microwave; it turns the texture to something closer to concrete.
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