Buttermilk Oatmeal with Butter-Poached Peaches and Sorghum

We love oatmeal -- really! It's the basis for many of our dishes, both savory, like the Chipotle Sweet Potato Burger, and sweet, like the topping on our Triple-Ginger Apple Crisp. Needless to say, we think it's great, but not everyone feels that way about the humble oat. I can totally understand that, especially if all you've ever experienced of it is a dull bowl of mush for a melancholy/nutritious breakfast.

Oats, just like grits or quinoa, need a little something to wake up their flavor. That's usually something acidic like lemon juice or vinegar. Here we used the gentle acidity of buttermilk to perk up this breakfast dish. We topped the whole thing off with a few butter-poached peaches, which are just now coming into season in the South.

When we serve this, there is very little talking, which is always a good sign. We only hear the occasional this-is-the-best-oatmeal-I've-ever-had comment float quietly across the tabletop.

Buttermilk Oatmeal with Butter-Poached Peaches and Sorgum

2 cups low-fat buttermilk
1 cup rolled oats
1 heaping tablespoon light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt
4 ripe peaches (pitted, peeled)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon sorghum syrup (or maple syrup)

In a medium pot over medium heat, warm the buttermilk and stir in the oats. Add the brown sugar and salt and stir. Cover, reduce heat to low, and continue to cook for 10 minutes; stir it occasionally to prevent sticking.

Next, cut peaches into bite-sized wedges. In a medium frying pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter, and just as it starts to brown, add the peaches. Allow them to cook for 3 minutes to lightly color on one side before turning them. Cook another 3 minutes and remove from heat. Divide oatmeal and peaches between 2 bowls and garnish with sorghum. (Serves 2.)