That fine line between breakfast and dessert: Baked Oatmeal with Raspberries and Rhubarb

Okay. Truly, this is 100% breakfast food. I mean, I'm not saying it's not reminiscent of a crisp. And I'm not saying it wouldn't be awesome with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, especially following a light dinner al fresco (gazpacho, anyone?)... But it's got oats and oat flour forming its body (no wheat), maple syrup and orange juice/zest as sweeteners (no refined sugar), and nearly-caramelized summer fruits holding it all together in all their jammy glory. (I. LOVE. RHUBARB. AND. BERRIES.) And in this household we enjoyed it not with ice cream after dinner, but with plain yogurt bright and early in the morning.

We had it hot the first day, lukewarm the second, and straight-out-of-the-fridge cold on the third.  All three ways were great (but different from one another, so go ahead and experiment and let me know if you have a preference). All three were decidedly breakfasty. And decidedly delicious. And that's all I really have to say. Happy Father's Day!

Baked Oatmeal with Rhubarb and Raspberries

From me (to you!)

Yield: 6 servings

Fruit compote

1 pound rhubarb, chopped into 1/2" pieces

1 pint raspberries or other berries (if strawberries, halve or quarter them)

1/3 cup honey or maple syrup

Zest and juice of 1 orange

1 teaspoon cinnamon or ground ginger (optional)

Baked oatmeal

1 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup oat flour*

1/3 cup honey or maple syrup

1/2 stick unsalted butter or Earth Balance margarine, 1/4" dice

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

You can make the topping in two ways: Either, toss together all fruit compote ingredients in a greased shallow baking dish (e.g. 2-quart or 8X8" or 9X9" pan) and bake 10 minutes; OR, stir together in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, until thickened and a little mushy. (The benefit of the former is EASY, the benefit of the latter is CONTROL, as on the stovetop you could cook it with more precision, until it reduces and thickens to consistency of your liking. I personally go for easy. It thickens over time anyway.)

Meanwhile, mix the oatmeal ingredients in a bowl with your fingertips or a fork, until  there are no more large chunks of butter/margarine, and the mixture is crumbly.

Stir fruit filling, pour it into a greased baking dish if you used the stovetop to cook it, then sprinkle oat mixture over it and bake until topping is crisp and golden and fruit is bubbling, about 30 minutes.

Serve with yogurt, ricotta cheese and a little honey... or ice cream.

Stores for at least 24 hours covered at room temp, and ~4 days in the refrigerator.

* Grind up 1/3 cup oats in food processor or blender, or use another not-too-fussy, mild-flavored flour, e.g. whole wheat, spelt, kamut, barley, sorghum, teff flour. I wanted my gluten-free baby to have this, so I opted for oat flour, but all-purpose would do the job for you non-allergy-folks too.