The cold cereal is perfect for those mornings when you wake up and complain, "How is it this hot already?" Funny, I never made the cereal while we lived in Switzerland, but I did have it as a snack at the various cafes that serve it. I've heard that it's not strictly a breakfast cereal but rather a light meal for dinner or znuni (9 am snack) or zvieri (4 pm snack). Any Swiss out there can confirm that for me?
Another funny thing is that while shopping at Whole Foods the other day, I came across this product from a Swiss company called Familia. Yup, you can eat Swiss cereal straight from the source. However, I prefer to make my Birchermüesli based on the recipe from this little cookbook.
Here's what I do:
Serves 4-5
In a large bowl with a lid, mix the following ingredients:
*two cups old-fashioned thick-cut oats
*two cups milk (I have been using a combo of rice and almond milk lately, but cow's milk is more original.)
*a handful or two of walnut halves (any nut will do)
*the juice of one lemon and one orange
*2 cups of your favorite fresh or dried fruit (My favorite combo is blueberries and raspberries in the summer, but the original recipe, created by Dr. Bircher himself over 100 years ago in Zurich, called for apples.)
*honey to taste
Finally, leave in the fridge overnight so the flavors can mix and so the oats soak up the milk.
The cookbook calls for 2 cups of milk to 1 cup of oats, but I found that ratio too watery. The ratio I mentioned makes the cereal nice and thick. I also like to add plain yogurt or kefir to make it creamier. Really, the possibilities are endless. Make this cereal your own!
***More Swiss love... Check out this new book called Swisscellany filled with fun facts about Switzerland! Here's a taste: Did you know Switzerland has 1.59 million cows?
1.59 million cows? That's almost more than the actual people :-)
ReplyDeleteI don't know how it was originally, but I've always heard of birchermuesli as either a brunch or snack thing. I make mine a little differently, because I don't do well with milk:
- 1 pint plain yogurt with probiotics
- 1 cup frozen raspberries (or 1/2 cup raspberries, 1/2 cup blueberries)
- 1 grated apple
- 1 Tbsp raisins or dried cranberries
- Juice of 1 orange
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
optional: 1-2 packets of Stevia plus or a little coconut sugar
In fact, I am starting to think I should make some, this is sounding better and better :-)
Hi Elisa! Thanks for sharing your recipe with us. Now that the markets are starting to bring in more apples, next I will have to try grated apple in my muesli!!
DeleteOh my lord, Amanda! Can I just say you are always reading my mind when it comes to food?! Matt and I go to this Germany bakery by our house (run by a real German master pastry chef -- a konditormeister!) and for breakfast/brunch they always serve this kind of muesli! When I first ordered it, I was expecting some dry cereal in a bit of milk, so I was a little shocked at the consistency. Now I'm hooked, and Matt and I have seriously spent this past week trying to make it at home -- and then voila -- you have this perfect recipe for us on your blog! Thank you, thank you ;)
ReplyDeletexoxox,
Lar
Oh and also thank you for mentioning the almond/rice milk option too! That was the one downside to ordering it at our Konditormeister. xoxox
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I could be of service ;) Let me know how the recipe turns out!
DeleteI usually like mine with yoghurt. I too never made muesli at home while in Switzerland, but now its an everyday thing!
ReplyDeleteIt's any everyday thing for us too! I don't know if I'll ever tire of it because you can switch things up with different fruits, nuts, juices and yogurt!
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