Aunt Vreni's Birchermüesli
We've discussed Birchermüesli before.
There is the story of its founder, Dr Bircher-Benner, who served a refreshing sweet oaty, lemony apple mush to patients at his Sanatorium (his recipe here: Dr Bircher's Müesli). A more modern, and relatively healthy take, with the addition of yogurt, is this version of Birchermüesli. Finally, for something a little different, there's this Tropical Birchermüesli.
But now, here's the recipe for my favourite of them all—my Aunt Vreni's Birchermüesli.
My Aunt Vreni and Uncle Hans live in a house on the side of a mountain in Eastern Switzerland. As a child it was always an adventure to visit them—hiking in the mountains, feeding their rabbits and chickens and cats, and trying not to get stung by the large amounts of Brennnessel (stinging nettle) that grew around the chicken coop.
Cowbells rang incessantly, and the rooster woke us early. The table was full of delicious food—there were vegetables from their garden, giant raspberries, giant eggs with bright orange yolks, chacheli with steaming milk and coffee, tender meat in a slightly piquant sauce (which I later found out was horse) and, when it was too hot to cook, Birchermüesli for dinner.
With the mercury just over 30°C at the moment, it's certainly too hot to cook, and luckily my Aunt Vreni recently gave me her super quick and easy recipe.
140 g packaged Müesli
2 pots (about 350-400 g) plain or fruit yogurt (usually strawberry, raspberry or blueberry)
125 ml apple juice or milk
400 g seasonal fruit
cornflakes for garnish and crunch
Mix the Müesli, yogurt, apple juice or milk, and fruit together and let sit for a few hours or overnight.
Packaged Müesli is usually a mix of oats, raisins, nuts, and other dried fruit in varying degrees. A popular brand outside of Switzerland is Alpen. You could also just use rolled oats and add dried fruit and nuts at will.
If you use apples, these are usually grated rather than chopped.
After sitting, the Birchermüesli can be a bit stodgy so I usually stir in a good splash of milk before serving.
My Aunt Vreni garnishes hers with a handful of cornflakes before serving—this adds a nice crunch.
