Bircher Muesli, Overnight Apple Oats

Straight above is a photo of Bondi Beach in Sydney taken in December 2016. I remember it was a gloomy, overcast day and it didn't look glamorous at all. Roy and I were visiting Jennifer and Allison while they were spending a year exploring Australia and traveling to countries close to that part of the world. For a short time, Jennifer worked at a place named Sejuiced. (I can only imagine how clever someone must of thought they were when they thought up the name.) It was a walk-up juice bar in Bondi Pavilion on Queen Elizabeth Drive. One of her tasks was to make a big vat of Bircher to be ready for sale the next morning. 

The other day, Jennifer mentioned Bircher and explained to me what it was.  It's Swiss in origin and. like foods of many other nationalities, found its way to Australia. Basically, it's a type of overnight oatmeal made with apple juice. The version she made at Sejuiced included yogurt to increase the protein, shredded apples, unsweet coconut and a bit of cinnamon. It seemed so fall forward that I had to give it a try. Yes, it's yummy! It can be zapped in the microwave if a warm breakfast is desired- just don't tell anyone who knows about Bircher! It's usually served straight out of the refrigerator or room temperature.

Ingredients and Directions - Four Servings

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 1/4 cup apple juice

1 cup plain yogurt (If need be, Kite makes a good dairy free version), plus more for serving

2 Granny Smith apples

1/4 cup chopped almonds

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup unsweet shredded coconut (Can be found at Whole Foods)

1 teaspoon cinnamon. plus more for serving

A few drizzles of honey, for serving

In a large bowl, stir together the oats, apple juice and yogurt. Cover and place in refrigerator overnight. 

In the morning, peel and core one of the apples. Coarsely grate it.

Add the grated apple, almonds, raisins, coconut and cinnamon to the oat mixture and combine well.

Cut the remaining apple into 12 slices.

Divide the Bircher into four serving bowls.

Place three apple slices and a dollop of yogurt on top of each serving. 

Give each bowl a sprinkle of cinnamon and drizzle of honey.

Dig in!

Simple Apple Crisp

Around our house the acronym "OPR" means Other People's Recipes. This little term came about after Jenn and I spent a frantic day last November making and photographing eleven recipes. I had come up with the idea of doing an article featuring the favorite holiday recipes from the writers who contributed to the community magazine I write for. The deadline for the piece was several days away, but it fell right when Jenn and I were to be driving her car across the country to move her to California.  So, the two of us had a wild time using just about every measuring spoon and baking dish in the house while depleting all of our baking supplies. The results were interesting; some of the dishes were delicious and some were a little different than our palates were used to. The main thing I realized though, was that each recipe had a memory behind it which made it special to the person that submitted it. We had a great time that day and I wouldn't trade that memory for anything!  The apple crisp recipe posted here happens to be an OPR as well. It belongs to my friend who hired me to cook it for her.  It's an OPR to keep!

Ingredients for an 8 by 8 Inch Baking Dish

6 cups of peeled, sliced apples

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon cinnamon

(1 tablespoon lemon juice mixed with 1 tablespoon water if using sweeter apples)

Directions:

I use an apple peeler to cut away the skin of the apples. Then I quarter them, cut out the core, slice them up, and place them in a baking dish.  My favorites to use are Granny Smith, but I also like Jonathan. If I am using a sweeter apple such as a Fuji, I mix one tablespoon of water with one tablespoon of lemon juice and sprinkle the mixture over the apple slices.

While the oven is preheating to 375 degrees, mix together the brown sugar, oatmeal, flour, butter, and cinnamon until crumbly. Spoon evenly over the apples in the baking dish.  Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until it is brown and bubbly. This is especially good served with vanilla ice cream or even just a drizzle of heavy cream.