Recipe: Bircher Muesli

I wish I could say that Bircher muesli is a German invention, but - as popular as it is back home - it was actually developed by a Swiss guy, Maximilian Bircher-Brenner. He was a physician and served it to the patients in his hospital, which shows just how healthy it is. You know me, and you know that the food I love is anything but healthy... But this particular breakfast dish is the perfect blend of goodness and yum.

A few years back I worked the breakfast shift in a 5-star hotel restaurant in Germany, and despite the fact that it started at 6 am (meaning I had to wake up at 4:30 am) and I had to deal with a whole bunch of cranky business people in a stressful environment, there was one thing that kept me on top of my game, always: The hope that I would be able to steal some of the leftover Bircher muesli from the kitchen before I went home.

This hotel had the best Bircher muesli I ever tasted, and unfortunately I was way too lazy to inquire about the recipe and make it at home back then. But last weekend, as I toasted my daily pop tart and brewed my daily cup of green tea I wanted to try something new. So I discovered that there are hundreds of variations of Bircher muesli out there. Even when you google "classic Bircher muesli recipe", every single one of those "classic" recipes is different. What's a girl to do? I went ahead and developed my own. And it is oh so good!

For 2 portions, take:

- 1 cup rolled oats

- 2 tbsp almonds

- 1 apple, grated with skin

- 200 ml apple juice

- 1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 4 strawberries

- honey

Roast the almonds in a dry pan for a few minutes, just so much that they start to brown. Let them cool, then chop.

I didn't have a grater for the apple, so I simply cut it into thin slices and then into long strips, which worked just fine.

Mix together the oats, almonds, grated apple, and apple juice. Leave to soak in the fridge over night.

In the morning, cut the strawberries into eight pieces each. Add the yogurt, cinnamon, some of the strawberry pieces, and a drizzle of honey to the mixture and stir well. Use remaining strawberry pieces to decorate.

Serve in a bowl. Voilá!

Instead of the almonds and strawberries you might want to add raisins, coconut and/or blueberries. Use your creativity, or simply throw in whichever fruit and seeds you have at home. You can't really go wrong. 

The Bircher muesli will keep in the fridge for about a week. 

Now that's a reason to rise and shine!