My last words on my
very first blog post, aptly titled A Fine Start, were:
I also love Bircher muesli – but that’s another story…
So whilst it may be a
bit late, I’ve finally gotten around to that
other story, with a bit of a twist on the original.
It came about when I was swirling some just-cooked roasted
rhubarb in its sticky, gingery-sweet syrup and I thought of
scooping it into a creamy muesli instead of using the traditional grated apple.
I could almost
claim it’s a healthy food version of
rhubarb fool (which was the original plan I had for the rhubarb) as rhubarb and
cream do feature, but with wholesome oats, nuts, dried fruit and yoghurt. Adding just a splash of cream balances the tartness
of the rhubarb and gives a luxurious touch to breakfast time. Hallelujah to that.
There’s a touch
of recipe here for the roasted
rhubarb and Bircher muesli but the finished dish is more of a tailored
assembly. In other words you are free to
change the amounts or ingredients to suit your own preferences.
I stole a few toasted nuts from the jar of
my homemade toasted muesli, but raw nuts would be fine too. It’s a bit like standing in front of the
selection of toppings for ice creams or frozen yoghurts in a food mall (not
that I actually do this, you understand); the options are many, although in this case probably
healthier. I like to keep it
fairly simple.
If you are a fan of raw food, stick with the original and substitute the rhubarb with one green apple, grated (with skin on).
Roasted Rhubarb Bircher Muesli
Serves 2
Start this recipe the day before you want to eat
it. You will have enough rhubarb for the
Bircher muesli and some left over.
Roasted rhubarb
1 bunch (approx.
500g) rhubarb, washed & cut into 2.5cm chunks
¼ cup brown sugar
the juice and
rind of 1 small orange
½ teaspoon ground
ginger
Bircher muesli
60g (1/2 cup)
porridge oats
1/2 cup milk*
(use apple juice if you prefer)
½ tbsp single
cream
* I used full cream milk
To serve:
Greek yogurt
Roasted rhubarb
Juice of 1/2 a
small orange
a drizzle of
maple syrup or honey
almonds, chopped
brazil nuts,
chopped
a few cranberries
some extra
rhubarb for the topping
Roasted rhubarb
Preheat oven to
180 C.
Place the rhubarb
on a lined baking tray. Add the sugar,
orange juice, ginger and rind and mix thoroughly until the sugar and ginger
dissolve in the juice and the rhubarb is coated.
Place in the oven
for about 15 minutes, or until the rhubarb is tender. Pour rhubarb and syrup into a covered
container and leave to cool or refrigerate overnight.
Bircher Muesli
The evening
before, place oats in a container and cover with the milk and a splash of
single cream. Mix well. Cover with lid or cling wrap and refrigerate
overnight.
In the morning
when you are ready to serve, add about a 1/3 cup of Greek yoghurt, 1/3 cup of
the roasted rhubarb and the fresh orange juice.
Mix well – if it’s too dry, add more yoghurt or orange juice or both
until you get the consistency and taste you want.
Drizzle with
maple syrup or honey. Sprinkle with the
chopped nuts and some cranberries.
Top with the extra
chunks of roasted rhubarb.
