Pecan and Golden Raisin Oatmeal Brulee

This is a very cozy winter breakfast. Not your ordinary cooked oatmeal dish, it has steamed golden raisins, pecans and brown sugar crystallized on top. This oatmeal is very good with homemade applesauce served piping hot on the side. A dish of raspberries, black berries, or strawberries is also a great side. Sometimes I slice ripe bananas over the oatmeal and then put the sugar mixture on top of them. The bananas taste really good with the sugar melted over them.

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4  cups water
• 2  cups steel cut oats (steel cut oats are oats that have not been rolled)
• 1⁄2 cup pecan pieces
• 1⁄2 cup golden raisin
• 1  cup  packed brown sugar
• 4  cups milk
• 1  vanilla beans, scraped or 1  teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Bring the water to a boil in a heavy saucepan and add the oats.
2. Reduce the heat and simmer until all the water is almost gone, about 20 minutes.
3. Cover pan tightly, remove it from the stove and let it sit until allthe water is absorbed.
4. Keep the oatmeal firm, do not let it get mushy.
5. Remember it will continue to cook in it's own heat when it is off the stove.
6. Scoop the oatmeal into an ovenproof serving dish.
7. Mix the pecans, raisins and brown sugar together and spread over the top of the oatmeal.
8. Either melt this sugar mixture with a blow torch, or broil the dish until the mixture is golden brown, from 1 to 5 minutes.
9. If you have a cappuccino maker, steam the 4 cups milk with the vanilla.
10. It looks beautiful when the mil has thick foam on top.
11. If this is not an option, simply heat the milk with the vanilla on top of the stove.
12. Serve the warm milk along with some Maple Syrup on the side to 4 very lucky people!