Recently, I’ve (Amelia) had the unfortunate experience of feeling averse to plain, cooked oatmeal. I used to love it, but I just can’t stomach it right now. This hasn’t put a stop to my love of oats, however. I LOVE them. Muesli, these iconic chocolate chip oatmeal bars, crispy overnight oat waffles, nourishing-yet-decadent overnight oat pudding, addictive nut butter bars, sweet and crunchy granola… we are enraptured. Oats add a chew and subtle nuttiness that enhances and balances flavor like nothing else. This means that even something hardly a soul has tried, something called oatmeal souffle, we were willing to try.
So worth the try. We’ve made plenty of changes, since then, for simplification and our own flavor preferences, and what has emerged is incredibly delicious. I’ve eaten copious amounts in one day of this food and not regretted a thing. The tang and creaminess of the cream cheese make is a dream to eat in combination with the toasty, fluffy oats. This is the stuff of breakfast fantasies.
Oatmeal Souffle*
Serves 4 to 5
3/4 cup oatmeal
2/3 cups water
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Three eggs, separated
Mix together all ingredients up to and including egg yolks. Put egg whites in a separate bowl. Cover both containers and place them in the refrigerator overnight (or do this in the morning to enjoy for dinner).
Heat the oven to 325°. Butter and sugar a one-and-a half-quart soufflé dish.Beat the egg whites until they are stiff but still moist. Using a rubber spatula, fold the egg whites into the oat mixture until no large lumps of whites remain. Pour into the soufflé dish and bake for 35 minutes until most of the soufflé is set, though it may still shake a bit in the very center.
*Note you need to start this at least six hours before baking—the night before or morning are both fine.
