Ingredients:
For the oats:
1 1/2 cupsrolled oats
1/2 teaspoonground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoonfreshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 cupsoat milk, plus more as needed
1 pinchkosher salt
1 tablespoonmaple syrup
2 teaspoonscrushed pink peppercorns, to garnish
For the brittle:
1/4 cupbuckwheat groats, toasted
1/3 cuphazelnuts, toasted, skins sloughed off, and lightly crushed
3 tablespoonscane sugar
1/4 teaspoonAleppo chile flakes
For the compote:
2 cupsfrozen tart cherries
1 cupfrozen sweet cherries
1 tablespoonfresh orange zest (about ½ orange)
1 pinchkosher salt
1 tablespoonmaple syrup
Directions:
Make the oats: Combine the oats, spices, salt, syrup, and oat milk in a shallow bowl. Stir until uniform. Allow to sit for 6 hours, up to overnight in the refrigerator.
Make the brittle: Pour the sugar into a small sauté pan and agitate to settle it into an even layer, then set it over medium heat. Leave the pan undisturbed as the sugar heats and begins to melt—this will take at least 5 minutes.
When the sugar is almost completely melted, stir any remaining granules toward the center, then add the hazelnuts, buckwheat, salt, and chile flakes. Fold swiftly to combine and coat all the elements in melted sugar. Slide the mixture out onto a small parchment-lined tray, along with any remaining caramelized sugar. Chill for at least 10 minutes, up to overnight. This can be done 2 days in advance.
Make the compote: Add the cherries, zest, salt, and syrup to a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Periodically turn the cherries as they thaw, bringing the topmost still-frozen cherries to the bottom, and moving the softened cherries to make room for the frozen ones.
Once the cherries have thawed and begun to collapse, bring the mixture to a simmer. Stir occasionally as the mixture bubbles. After 10 minutes, mash some of the cherries with a fork. Simmer for another 10 minutes, lowering the heat as needed, until the cherries are collapsed and resemble a loose sauce. You will have reduced most of the liquid. If you aren’t eating it immediately, transfer the compote to a wide-mouth jar, allow to cool to room temperature, then seal and refrigerate.
When it’s time to serve, add a little more oat milk or water to thin the oats to the desired consistency and stir. Divide between bowls and spoon compote on top. Break the brittle into bite-sized chunks and scatter onto the compote, and rub the pink peppercorns between your fingers, sloughing the papery skins over the oats.