Dried-Apple and Hazelnut Porridge

A pantry breakfast

The National Museum of Denmark's fruit display↗ includes wild apples and hazelnuts among foods available in the Viking world. The combination connects a grain breakfast with gathered nuts and fruit kept beyond its fresh season.

Oats have also changed form on the way to the modern cupboard. Rolled flakes are designed to cook quickly, while whole grain needs more preparation. The flakes soften quickly enough for a breakfast saucepan, with no overnight grain soak.

Water lets the apple show

The cooking liquid is water, not milk or cream. As the apple softens, it contributes its own fruit flavor to the porridge. Honey is added at serving, leaving the cook able to distribute it across the bowls rather than sweetening a pot before the fruit has had time to contribute.

Dried apple varies in sweetness and texture. Some pieces are chewy and pale; others are softer and darker. Small pieces spread through the oats more evenly than whole rings, and they are easier to eat with a spoon. Cut away any tough core fragments before cooking.

Dry fruit also takes up some of the liquid. The written amount is generous enough for a spoonable porridge with the specified flakes, but the stopping cue remains the oats: soft and creamy, with the fruit tender enough to bite. Don't judge it by a timer while a different oat product sits in the pan.

Nuts at the last moment

The hazelnuts are a topping rather than a thickener. Keeping them out of the simmering pot preserves a contrast between the soft oat mixture and the chopped kernels. Chop them small enough for a comfortable spoonful, while leaving pieces you can recognize.

Use ordinary shelled hazelnuts with their brown skins still on. Rough chopping leaves enough of their firm texture to contrast with the creamy oats, without a whole kernel dominating each spoonful.

A bowl that thickens as it waits

The short stand after cooking gives the oats a chance to settle, but porridge continues to firm as it cools. Have the bowls and toppings ready before the pan is finished. A fresh, hot serving is the intended result.

Stir along the base before spooning out the porridge, so the apple pieces travel into the bowls with the oats. Share out the nuts and honey at the table.

Explore the historical background and companion recipes in The Viking Winter Pantry: Preserved Fish, Grain and Dairy.