🍳 Breakfast & brunch
Sticky toffee custard oats with cherry compote & pistachios
Where baked fruit, toffee oats, and custard decide to cooperate
⏱️ Time estimate: about 35 minutes
Roasted cherries get syrupy in the oven while buttery date oats turn glossy and extra creamy with an eggy custard finish, then everything gets topped with chopped pistachios.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup frozen cherries
- Drizzle of maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- A couple twists of black pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 dates, pitted and chopped small
- 1 cup milk
- 2/3 cup oats
- 1 egg, beaten
- Chopped pistachios
- Optional: flaky salt
Instructions
- Roast the cherries. Heat the oven to 425°F. Add the cherries to a baking dish with the maple syrup, cinnamon, and black pepper. Bake for about 25 minutes, until jammy and bubbling.
- Start the sticky toffee base. Melt the butter in a pot until it begins to foam, about 2 minutes. Add the chopped dates and 1/2 cup water, then cook about 2 minutes until the dates soften. Press them with the back of a spoon to encourage them into a paste.
- Cook the oats. Add the oats and milk and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the oats are tender but still creamy.
- Turn them custardy. Reduce the heat to low and add 1/3 cup cold water to cool the oats slightly so the egg does not scramble. Whisk in the beaten egg vigorously, then continue stirring for 2 to 3 minutes until the oats are thick, glossy, and creamy.
- Finish and serve. Spoon the oats into bowls and top with the roasted cherry mixture, chopped pistachios, and a little flaky salt if you like.
The black pepper sounds odd until it isn’t. It makes the cherries feel extra grown-up.