LOVE YOUR OATS

Cookbook author and baker Benjamina Ebuehi uses this pantry staple in creative ways

- Benjamina Ebuehi

A bag of oats has always been a permanent staple in my kitchen cupboard. Whether it's daily bowls of steaming porridge to see me through the winter or batch baking trays of granola, oats are humble but dependable. When it comes to baking, there's so much more you can do with them than just make flapjacks (which I do still love every now and then). They're incredibly versatile and can be used in both sweet and savoury recipes. For a rustic loaf like my cheese, oat & spring onion soda bread (p86), I blitz up oats to replace some of the flour - this adds texture and robustness. If I'm a little short on time to make my own pastry, I use oats to form the base of tarts, as I've done with my oaty coconut cheesecake tart (p86). They add a crunchy, slightly chewy element. And, toasting the oats first releases even more rich, earthy flavour, which works especially well in the crunchy praline clusters on page 88.

Oaty coconut cheesecake tart

MAKES 4 PREP 35 mins plus cooling and 2-3 hrs chilling

COOK 40 mins MORE EFFORT V

80g jumbo oats

45g desiccated coconut

100g plain flour

120g unsalted butter

90g light brown soft sugar

40g golden syrup

1 ripe passion fruit, halved

For the cheesecake filling

340g soft cheese

60g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

200ml double cream

1 Heat the oven to 1800/160C fan/ gas 4 and line the base of a 23cm fluted tart tin with baking parchment. Tip the oats, coconut, flour and 1/4 tsp salt into a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon.