Oatmeal with Dried Fruit

Lately, every weekend I spend in Chicago invariably culminates with brunch at Milk & Honey Cafe. And inevitably, someone always orders the delicious Warm Oatmeal with Dried Cherries, Toasted Walnuts and Brown Sugar. I don't know Milk & Honey's secret, but this morning I decided to make a breakfast inspired by the cafe's popular dish. I used Irish-made John McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal, which comes in a great throw-back can. The brand is a bit expensive, but if you don't mind sacrificing the cool can, there are other more affordable options out there. I have to say that just opening the can hightened my anticipation! The oats have a great sweet-grain smell that far surpasses anything out of an instant package. I prepared them according to the instructions on the can:

Sprinkle one cup oatmeal into four cups briskly boiling water, stirring well. When the porridge is smooth and beginning to thicken (about 7 or 8 minutes), reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes (actually, more like 20-25 minutes, in my experience), stirring occasionally.

You could really stop there - it is delicious as is. But, of course, I had to follow Milk & Honey's lead and embellish it.

I added an almost imperceptible amount of brown sugar, a few taps of nutmeg, a handful of dried cranberries, a handful of golden raisins, and half of a handful of walnut quarters.

Yum! It was such a filling and satisfying winter meal. You could use any dried fruits that you have on hand, and omit the nuts if desired, since the steel cut oats are already "nutty" tasting. The walnuts do add to the flavor if you have them, though, and I would recommend always including the golden raisins. The combination of golden raisins and nutmeg is pure harmony. Also, the sugar could be adjusted or replaced with honey, but I don't think you need much (or possibly even any), since the fruit adds sweetness.