Chocolate Baked Oatmeal Custard - Testing

Adapted from the Orange and Cardamom baked oatmeal custard in The Scottish Oats Bible by Nichola Fletcher, p.71

1 - Alrighty, still in the testing phase - the oatmeal did not fully cook! I followed the instructions, but didn't listen to my intuition nor my experience. I've cooked pinhead or steel cut oats before, with success, but never spent a half hour stirring; I'd just leave it on low and let it cook on its own. Which I will try next time! I also used about 1/4 tsp of ground cardamom, and the flavour didn't come out.

2 - Interesting but a bit odd, still. The I used freshly ground cardamom from ground and it was too strong, it seemed. I also reduced the chocolate by half and it was plenty chocolatey, I'd even say chocolate flavor saturated. The texture was nice but a bit off. The grains of cooked oats were too spread out, and we longed for a more tapioca pudding-like experience. Next time, I will increase the quantity of oats, before doing anything about the cardamom. I suspect more oats will absorb some of the flavor, and I'll have to play around a bit with the second dosing of milk and cream to avoid increasing the volume of liquid. We ate it warm, I'm curious about it cold. 24/12/04

1/4 1/3 cup pinhead oats
1 oz sugar
1 cup milk
4 cardamom pods
6oz chocolate or chocolate chips
1 egg
1/3 cup cream
1/3 cup milk

1. Put the oats into a saucepan with the sugar and milk. Bring to a slow boil then turn down to a slow simmer, covered, and let cook for about  and stir over medium heat for 20-30 minutes to make a soft porridge. While the oats are cooking, husk and grind the cardamom and add them.
2. Once the oatmeal is cooked, turn off the heat and stir in the grated chocolate until well blended. Set aside and allow it to cool.
3. While the oatmeal cools, pre-heat the oven to 275F.
4. In a large bowl beat the egg then whisk in the cream and milk.
5. Once the oatmeal has cooled enough, mix it in to the egg mixture, thoroughly.
6. Turn into a shallow dish and bake until set, for about 40-45 minutes, depending on depth.
7. Serve warm.