Cinnamon Oat Atole

📝 Ingredients

• 70 g rolled oats
• 500 ml semi-skimmed milk
• 200 ml water
• 1 cinnamon stick + 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 20 g brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 50 g vanilla whey protein
• 1 pinch of salt

🍴 Utensils

• Blender or stick blender
• Saucepan
• Whisk
• Bowl
• Vacuum flask

📖 Steps

1. Put the oats, the 200 ml water and the ground cinnamon in the blender jug (or a tall glass if using a stick blender). Blend for 1 minute on full power, until you have a smooth liquid with no visible bits of oat.
2. Pour the milk into a saucepan with the cinnamon stick, brown sugar and pinch of salt. Heat over a medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, until small bubbles appear around the edges: the milk should simmer, not boil, or it will boil over.
3. Turn the heat down to low and pour in the oat mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly. This is the key step: poured in all at once without stirring, it forms lumps that stick to the bottom of the pan.
4. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes over a low heat, whisking every minute and scraping the bottom well. The atole is ready when it coats the back of a spoon, like custard. Meanwhile, fill the vacuum flask with boiling water to preheat it.
5. Take the pan off the heat, remove the cinnamon stick and add the vanilla extract. Leave to cool slightly for 3 to 4 minutes: added to a boiling liquid, whey curdles and forms lumps that can't be rescued.
6. Put the whey in a bowl, add a ladleful of atole and whisk briskly until smooth and creamy. Pour this mixture back into the pan, whisking, until the drink is even and nicely velvety.
7. Empty the water from the vacuum flask, pour in the atole and seal it tightly: it will stay hot for 4 to 5 hours. Shake the flask before drinking, as the atole thickens as it stands. Too thick? Loosen it with a splash of hot water.