A warming winter breakfast | Coconut & almond porridge with vanilla caramelized pears

Breakfast is without a doubt my favourite meal of the day. I honestly don’t understand how anyone can skip it. I could no more contemplate leaving the house without breakfast than I could head out for the day without my keys and phone.

I love porridge, especially at this time of year. This version is particularly indulgent. It contains some of my favourite ingredients, and you won’t find a #cleaneating hashtag attached to it. It’s an unashamed treat for those dark winter days when you need something warm and delicious to lift your spirits first thing in the morning. Think of it as breakfast dessert!

Until recently I always made my porridge in a saucepan on the hob, but after a little trial and error I’ve realised that it’s actually super easy to make porridge in the microwave, and that this is a quicker and easier option if I’m heading out of the door in a rush in the morning. Firstly you don’t have to stand around the hob stirring it while you’re waiting for it to thicken, and secondly it saves on washing up – there’s no nasty, sticky saucepan to scrub clean afterwards.

So as part of my brand ambassador partnership with Samsung Home Appliances – their new MW8000J HotBlast Convection Microwave oven launched earlier this year – this month I’m sharing one of my favourite microwave breakfast recipes – coconut and almond porridge with vanilla caramelized pears.

ingredients

(per serving)

50g porridge oats

150ml coconut milk

50ml water

15g almond flakes

10g coconut flakes

1 pear

1/4 of a vanilla pod

20g caster sugar

60ml Greek yoghurt

10g butter

method

For this recipe, you’ll first need to caramelize the pears on the hob, but I sometimes do this the night before and keep a small batch in the fridge to save time first thing in the morning.

Finely chop the vanilla and, using a pestle and mortar, crush it into the sugar.

Peel and core the pear and cut it into 8 wedges. Then toss the pear slices in the sugar and vanilla mixture until lightly coated.

Melt a small knob of butter in a frying pan and then cook the pears for around 5 minutes until they are just starting to brown. Remove the caramelized pears from the heat and set them aside.

Place the porridge oats in a bowl and pour over the coconut milk and water. Stir well to combine the ingredients, cover with a microwavable lid and then cook in the microwave for 2 minutes. The secret is to use a generously sized bowl and not to overfill it so that the mixture doesn’t bubble up and spill over the sides. Giving it a stir half way through cooking will help prevent this too.

When the porridge is cooked add the pears with a couple of spoonfuls of Greek yoghurt, sprinkle with coconut and toasted almonds and enjoy!

For me, a bowl of porridge is pretty hard to beat on a cold winter’s morning, but if a full English is your breakfast of choice, Samsung’s new convection microwave oven is also equipped with a Power Grill. Significantly more powerful than traditional convection oven grills, it allows you to grill sausages, bacon and other foods quickly and evenly for crisp, tasty results. Other features include HotBlast technology (a new way of cooking that reduces cooking times significantly) and a wider turntable that allows you to cook on a much larger scale, easily accommodating a family sized pizza for example. Despite its generous capacity it’s also slim enough to fit into even the smallest of kitches, and with a sleek glass front and flush handle the design is clean and minimal, ensuring it will fit in seamlessly alongside other appliances in a contemporary kitchen.

Follow me over on Instagram for more microwave cooking inspiration.

#OwnTheWeekend

Styling and photography by Design Hunter in collaboration with Samsung Home Appliances.