The Bob's Red Mill Cookbook contains 350-plus recipes using whole grains to create delicious and easy-to-prepare dishes.

The long anticipated sequel to our Mill family Baking Book, the Bob’s Red Mill Cookbook has finally hit store shelves. We’ve slaved over recipes and proofreading for the last two years and are happy to be releasing a new book filled with recipes geared toward whole grain cooking. Recipes were gathered from our recipe files, from chefs who have taught at our cooking school, and some were developed right here by our culinary specialists  Chelsea Lincoln and Lori Sobelson just for this book.

I love baking, but what makes me truly enthusiastic about getting into my kitchen (and cleaning the mess that’s left from my last project) is cooking with whole grains. I’ve been excited for this book since I first looked at the recipe list and have already tried a few at home.  Each has been spectacular. I am confident that this book will be a great addition to any cook’s collection.

Something that I really like about this book is the eclectic collection of different recipes from around the world; recipes such as Gazpacho Bulgur Salad and African Peanut Stew. It also contains many recipes that have been customer favorites for years, such as Scottish Oatcakes and Quinoa-stuffed Collard Wraps. Each recipe is designated whether it is gluten free, vegetarian or vegan.

To celebrate our book’s release, I’m going to give away three signed copies of this book. To enter for your chance to win an autographed copy, leave a comment below and tell me what cookbook you couldn’t live without. I will select winners randomly from all who comment. Contest ends this Monday, November 2nd at 5 pm PST.

If you’re not a lucky winner, watch for our book to be on special later in November through the holidays. Books can be purchased on our website or at your local book retailer. We’ll be sharing recipes from this book later in the month.

World's Best Porridge

After our last post, we got many requests for the actual winning recipe. While it’s pretty much what’s on our package, I’m happy to include it here for your enjoyment.

Basic Steel Cut Oats

Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups Water
1/4 tsp Salt
1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Steel Cut Oats (Organic, Gluten Free, or Regular)

In a medium saucepan, bring water and salt to a boil. Add steel cut oats and reduce heat to low. Stir frequently and cook for 20-30 minutes, depending on how chewy you like your oats. If the oats begin to look too dry, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water. Top oats with milk and brown sugar and enjoy!

To eat them in the true Scottish style, use 1 cup of milk in place of 1 cup water during cooking. When done,  do not top with anything. The Scots, as we were told, are made of tougher stuff and do not need fancy toppings for their oats.

We’ve been teasing you for months now with drool-worthy photos of our Oregon Orchard Oat Brûlée (say THAT five times fast) and we know you’ve been eager to take a crack at this recipe at home. Your wishes have been granted (unless, that is, you just want them to appear magically!). Here is the long-awaited recipe that we took to compete in the Golden Spurtle Championship Specialty Category. While we didn’t win the specialty category, we still think it’s a pretty darn tasty concoction and feel confident that you will too.

Our Oregon Orchard Oat Brûlée combines the finest Oregon crops- pears, cherries and hazelnuts.

Oregon Orchard Oat Brûlée

We know that not everyone can enjoy this recipe as is, so here are my suggestions to alter the recipe as needed.

Gluten Free? No problem! Simply swap out regular steel cut oats for our Gluten Free Steel Cut Oats and use an alcohol that you know is gluten free. Most brandy is distilled from fruit, but it’s always a good idea to check with the manufacturer (Clear Creek Distillery’s Pear Eau De Vie is gluten free).

Dairy Free? Easy! To make this creamy concoction free from dairy, simply replace the heavy cream with an alternate creamer (I recommend the Silk Soy Creamer if you can have soy) and use a butter-alternative, such as Earth Balance.

Don’t have Pear Eau De Vie on the shelf? Most alcohol will work fine as a replacement, though I recommend whisky, spiced rum or brandy. It may alter the overall flavor of the dish, but I think it would still taste great. If you don’t want to use alcohol- leave it out, just be sure not to flambé your compote or you’ll have some burnt pears on your hands!

Nut-free or don’t have hazelnuts on hand? Just skip ‘em! The candy topping will be decadent enough without them.

Lastly, if you don’t have a culinary torch and don’t want to purchase one (though, they are quite fun) just skip the brûlée part. It’s not the same, but still enjoyable.

Have fun and enjoy your efforts.

Cheers!

Matt held his own, even while being interviewed.

Our team can hardly believe that we won the coveted Golden Spurtle; the prize awarded for the best traditional porridge in the world. We spent most of the night celebrating with pints at the local pub. Today it became real, as the phone began ringing for interviews and the Scottish paper announced that the Americans had won the honor of having the best porridge in the world.

Yesterday our nerves ran wild as we prepared for the competition. My hands shook as I cut pears and measured out oats, water, salt. There were so many fabulous people competing that we immediately felt out of place and knew we’d be lucky to make it into the finals. What struck me immediately was how friendly everyone was. We were all nervously prepping for the competition and joking with one another to break the tension. Everyone was bonded together in our nervous chatter and sharing recipes was just another way to calm our nerves.

Finally, the time came for Matt to take the stage. As we shuffled everything for our Oregon Orchard Oat Brule and traditional oats onto the stage, I knew all the months of hard work was finally to be tested. This was it.

Matt preformed fabulously under the judges’ scrutiny and finished with 3 minutes to spare- far more than any practice session had yielded. I knew he had preformed well, but we were up against some very strong competition. After the allotted time, the judges announced those who would make it into the final round. The final round would consist only of the traditional oats; the winner of the specialty oats category, presumably, having already been chosen. Those few seconds stretched on for an eternity as the judge announced first one name, then another, and so on. When the fourth name was announced, I felt momentarily dismayed until he uttered the last number- 5, Matthew Cox. Of fourteen competitors, we had made it to the finals.

Here, I breathed a sigh of relief. While we wanted to win, we were content to make it into the finals. We scrambled to get Matt ready for the finals and watched as he prepared yet another batch of traditional oats. When he finally plated his oats the nervous wait began.

Anna-Louise Bachelor and Matt Cox: World Porridge Champions

After what felt like hours, but was only minutes, the judges had chosen the winner of the specialty category- Anna-Louise Bachelor with her Steamed Porridge Spotted Dick with Custard. Our hopes were perceptibly dashed. I was ready to call it a day and move on. When the judge announced Matt as the winner of the traditional oats category and the Golden Spurtle Champion, it took a moment to digest that we had won. How had we come all this way and actually won??

From there it has been a whirlwind of photographers and journalists. What an honor to win the traditional oats category. While we worked so hard to perfect our specialty oats, this award means far more to us. Our oats won this award. Thank you for all of your support. Over the next few days, we will post links to our pictures and videos.

Thank you, again, from your friends at Bob’s Red Mill

Team Bob's Red Mill: (left to right) Marie Gilliam, Ashley Cox, Dennis Gilliam, Matt Cox, Cassidy Stockton, Andy Stockton

Matt stands proud after being awarded the title of World Porridge Champion

Yes, today we were awarded the title of Golden Spurtle Champions. I am still in shock and can hardly believe that we now hold the Golden Spurtle for a year. I promise you a full report tomorrow, when the dust has settled and I can put the day’s events into order. Thank you all for your support over the last six months. We could not have done this without you.

Just to be clear, the title of Golden Spurtle World Champions is awarded for the best traditional oats- oats, water, salt. We did not win for our fantastic oat brulee, but on the merit of our oats alone. We are all the more pleased by this title.

The Edinburgh Castle

Team Bob’s Red Mill arrived safe and sound; if a bit weary, in Edinburgh yesterday morning. With a few hours rest on the flight across the pond, each of us felt the need to make the most of our first day in Scotland. We had been quite lucky to have arrived on a beautiful sunny day. Stepping out of the airport and diving into a taxi, we planned our respective days. Each of us had something we wanted to start by seeing. As the taxi wound its way into the heart of the city, our jaws dropped. Edinburgh is like stepping into a fairytale. With only a few modern buildings, the blocks are teaming with beautiful architecture that looks as if it was designed to emulate the many castles dotting the city. The city felt old and ancient, yet thriving with life. It was a dramatic contrast to see blackened statues as old as our country across from cafes boasting free wifi.

We gawked at the beauty of it all and when worn completely to the bone, each of us found ourselves craving a hot meal followed promptly by bed. Unsure where to dine, where did Team Bob’s Red Mill find ourselves? At the Grain Store, of course. A lovely establishment located in old store rooms (though the proprietor admitted grain had never been stored there) in the second level of a building over 200 years old. While there was nary a whole grain on the menu, we did enjoy a lovely meal. Near the end, as we sipped coffee our conversations lagged and our eyelids drooped. After all, we had been up for nearly 24 hours with only a few naps.

A gray sky heavy with rain clouds greeted us as we piled into our tiny car to head up to Carrbridge, where the Golden Spurtle Championship is held. The drive was lovely as we climbed into the Highlands. Sheep and Scottish Heather dotted the rolling green hills. Arriving in Carrbridge, we received a warm welcome from our hosts, Lindsay and Allison, at the Fairwinds Hotel. Scouting out the site of the competition and taking in the picturesque village, brought home how much work we have put into being here today. Everyone has been incredibly nice and welcoming to us Yanks and we’re happy to have come to join in the porridge fun!

Yep, we made it to Carrbridge for the World Porridge Competition.

The Milwaukie, Oregon Flag

It got a little hectic today at the Whole Grain Store during our Bon Voyage party for the Golden Spurtle team. Oats were flying, pears were sizzling and sugar was dripping down the sides of mini-ramekins. We welcomed over a dozen special guests and media representatives to join us for Oregon Orchard Oat Brulee (whew! what a long name!!). Milwaukie, Oregon Mayor, Jeremy Ferguson presented Matt Cox with a City of Milwaukie flag and Jeremy’s very own lapel pin- right off of his jacket- to properly represent Milwaukie in Scotland. Thanks, Jeremy!

With only 11 days until our competition, practice sessions have been heating up with only a few minor burns (that sugar gets HOT when it melts!).  We’re practicing every day to be sure we represent Bob’s Red Mill, Oregon and the United States with the finest batch of oatmeal we can muster.

Watch our progress as we fly from Oregon to Scotland and enter the competition by subscribing to this blog, following us on Facebook and/or Twitter.

Now for the last pre-competition give away!

To enter to win a beautiful myrtle-wood spurtle and package of Bob’s Red Mill Steel Cut Oats- simply guess how many competitors will be strutting their stuff before the Golden Spurtle judges. Closest to correct will win the prize! Just post your guess in the comments section below. If we get too many correct submissions- we’ll randomly select from those who nailed it.

Matt Cox receives Mayor Jeremy Ferguson's lapel pin.