Red Autumn Porridge

  • Anna Louise Batchelor

Recipe by Anna Louise Batchelor / Porridge Lady – Entry 2013

Inspiration / Influences / Story behind recipe
This recipe takes its inspiration from the Danish recipe ‘Rødgrød med fløde’. Traditionally the recipe uses red summer berries and a lot of cream!

This year I’ve received a lot of press interest from the Scandi/Nordic media about my Porridge making as all things oaty is big news! This interest has influenced me to look more at Scandi cuisine for a recipe idea to make in the speciality section of the Golden Spurtle. For my recipe I have turned a favourite Scandinavian dessert into a Porridge recipe.

The oatmeal is cooked in a different way for this recipe; whisked rather than stirred. It makes a lighter and fast to cook Porridge.

Ingredients
2 cups of washed redcurrants
1 cup of water
1 tablespoons of sugar
1/3 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoons of potato starch, dissolved in ½ cup of water
1 whole star anise
1 whole cinnamon quill
2 cups of medium oatmeal
Pinch of sea salt
Double cream to garnish.

Method
Place the redcurrants and water into a deep heavy based saucepan and gently heat.
Then stir in the sugar and vanilla and keep cooking until the redcurrants have softened but not dissolved.
Finally slowly, and stirring continuously, add the potato starch and keep stirring until you have a nice thick syrupy consistency.
Set the saucepan aside and allow to the cool.
Then into another saucepan pour 2 cups of boiling water.
Place over a high heat and bring the water back to the boil.
Then add the cinnamon and star anise and boil for 10 mins, allowing the flavours to infuse into the water.
After 10 mins remove the cinnamon and star anise from the water.
Then with speed add the oatmeal to the boiling water and whisk rapidly to prevent any lumps from forming.
Keep whisking the oatmeal for between 8-10 mins, or until you have a nice thick Porridge consistency.
Then remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the Porridge to rest for 1 minute.
Pour the Porridge into three bowls.    Garnish with the redcurrant syrup.
Pour plenty of cream over the top and serve hot.