Oat Cream

I like using oat cream in gratin dishes like my Macaroni and ‘Cheese’ Gratin or my Pommes Dauphinois recipes. I like the way the cream thickens and…well, gratinates (yep, that is a word) without leaving behind a cloyingly sweet goo or curdling. I also like making my own oat cream because most of the products I’ve tried in shops have added oils (usually undefined), thickeners, emulsifiers and probably way too much salt. I think a good oat cream should only have oats, water and a pinch of salt.

When making your own oat cream, the first item on your shopping list is rolled oats. I prefer rolled oats because they are not overly processed cut up too small. Rolled oats produce a creamier consistency than steel-cut oats, but you can make oat cream with the latter if that is what’s available. Got it? Good, your shopping is done!

Let’s start preparing the oat cream by first soaking the oats. I like using hot water and adding about twice as much (by weight) water to oats (see my recipe below). Cover the oats and refrigerate them overnight. Some people just allow the oats to soak for an hour or so before processing and you can do this too. But soaking the oats overnight softens them more and creates more substantial flavor. I think fast-soaked oats makes a product that’s…well, a bit like white water.

After soaking the oats, it’s time to make the cream. I recommend using a high-speed blender like a Vitamix, because it gets the job done quickly and the blended oats tend to have a higher yield. The oats need some straining after they’ve been processed; I recommend using a nut bag for this job (nut bags are simple to find online).   Don’t stress too much if you don’t own a nut bag; you can make your own, or use an old nylon.

Difficulty: simple
Yield:  makes about 250 ml/1-cup cream (plus 500 ml/2-cups milk)

Oat Cream

250 grams rolled oats
500 ml. water
1 teaspoon sea salt
250 ml. water

 

Jack’s Fresh Tip

This recipe makes way too much cream – close to one half liter! Here’s what I like to do to get the most out of my effort. I make the cream and strain enough for 250 ml/1 cup.  I add the leftover strained oats back to the blender along with 750 ml. (3-cups) water and process at high again for 1 minute. I strain this and end up with a good amount of milk to go along with my cream!

My recipe makes a thick cream, but you can easily adjust the consistency by adding more water to the blender. I suggest starting with an additional 120 ml (1/2-cup) and seeing how that goes before adding too much and ending up with milk instead of cream (obviously, not the worst outcome).

The question I normally get after sharing this recipe is, ‘what do you do with the strained oats?’ Excellent question! I don’t like wasting things in the kitchen, so I end up saving the oats and making sure they are as dry as possible. I use them in baked goods, like muffins, to add a bit more body and perhaps a touch of nutrition and fiber. Here’s another DYI use…mix the processed oats with some soil and add them to your plants!

Recipes with Oat Cream

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