13 May 2015

My Super Swiss Breakfast: bircher muesli recipe

We bought a house!
It's been a long, stressful and bumpy ride, but now come the rewards. 


During the first couple of weeks after we moved in, I felt like we were staying in a holiday home and expected we’d have to pack up and leave at any moment. I was tiptoeing around the house, not quite coming to grips with the idea that it was ours.
Today, sitting amongst our boxes, waiting for some of our furniture to be delivered, it has started to sink in and although I am over the moon, I still can't believe how lucky I am.
I've got a home with The Man. In London. 
We can invite family to stay over, and organise dinner parties with our friends. 
We can choose the colour of the walls, invest time and money in making this house our home. Our home.
I'm happy!
 


My Bircher Muesli

There probably are as many bircher muesli recipes are there are people making it. When I searched for the perfect recipe, I quickly found that from Hugh Ferney Wittingstall to Felicity Cloake, everyone has his take on the bircher muesli recipe. So I decided I would create my own and put the things I like in it. 
Thanks to the lime juice and fresh ginger, this one is fresh and tangy, and perfect for waking your taste buds up in the morning. As for the nuts and fresh fruits, I try new combinations every time I make a new batch.
So go ahead, improvise!

Ingredients (for a bowl of bircher muesli) 
6 tbsp organic rolled oats
1 tangy apple, such as granny smith or breaburn, coarsely grated
2 tbsp thick plain yogurt such as Total Greek Yogurt
2 tbsp orange juice (freshly pressed or from a bottle)
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp nuts chopped (almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc)
1 small tbsp grains (pumpkin seeds, linseeds, etc)
1 tbsp runny honey (optional)
a few fresh blueberries or raspberries
a small 1/2 thumb sized of fresh grated ginger (optinal)
milk, depending of the required consistency

Method to prepare the bircher muesli: 

1/ The night before, place in a bowl the rolled oats, the yogurt, the juices of orange and lime, the grated apple, the nuts and grains, and the grated ginger and honey (if used). Mix well and cover with cling film.

2/ In the morning, add the fresh fruits, and milk if you wish your bircher muesli to be runnier than it is.
NB: if you like your nuts and grains very crunchy, add them at the last minute before serving rather than the night before. 


The story goes that a Doctor Bircher-Benner from Zurick came up with the bircher muesli recipe. It has long been popular with vegetarians, but it has recently become increasingly trendy amongst the general public as it ticks many of the perfect breakfast's boxes : it fills you up, it is well-balanced, and packed with nutrients without being too fat or too sweet. And it's delicious, so no reason not to try it!