Strawberry Banana Oatmeal Brulee

Oh how I love Pinterest. I find all sorts of stuff on there that I otherwise would never discover, like this bruleed oatmeal. I never would have thought to caramelize fruit on top of my oatmeal to make it extra-special on my own, but since I make oatmeal for Riley and myself a few times a week it's definitely a technique I'm going to use a lot from now on. I bruleed mine under the broiler, which didn't fully caramelize the strawberries, as you can see from the picture. If I had a kitchen torch it would probably work much better, but I'm happy with the broiler too. I think this technique would work the best on a large casserole dish of baked oatmeal since the effect would be much greater. Either way, it's a delicious spin on plain old oatmeal.

Strawberry Banana Oatmeal Brûlée
yield: 2 servings

INGREDIENTS
1 cup water
1 cup almond milk or regular milk
pinch salt
1 cup old fashioned oats
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 banana, sliced thinly
3-4 strawberries, sliced thinly
granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS
Combine the water, almond milk, salt, oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Divide oatmeal between two oven-safe serving bowls. Top with sliced bananas and strawberries in an even layer. Sprinkle the sliced fruit with granulated sugar in a thin layer – just enough to help the surface caramelize. Place the bowls directly under a preheated broiler and cook just until the sugar is browned and bubbly, keeping an eye on the fruit through the whole process. It shouldn't take more than about 30 seconds. Serve immediately.

SOURCE
inspired by Annie's Eats and A la Mode