The Original Dr Bircher Muesli
Recipe by Neil Perry
A really good yoghurt, such as a sheep’s milk yoghurt, will make the muesli taste even better, though taste as you go and adjust the lemon juice a little to balance the yoghurt’s sharpness.
A good friend, Greg Fraser, passed this recipe on to me many years ago, and now Sam and I have it almost every day.
It is very simple and good for lowering cholesterol levels. You can have any fruit you like with it; we tend to have fresh berries in summer, and either poached quinces or pears during the rest of the year.
Ingredients
- 200 g rolled oats
- juices of 2 Lemon
- 2 sour green apples such as granny smith apples
- 500 g plain Yoghurt
- 150 g Honey
- Poached fruit such as, Poached Pear or fresh fruit
- 40 g roasted Hazelnuts skinned and crushed to serve
Method
HOW TO ROAST NUTS
- Hazelnuts can be roasted by simply cooking in a preheated 180°C (350°F/Gas 4) oven until golden brown. To remove their skins, allow the nuts to cool, then put them in a clean tea towel, fold it in half and rub the nuts inside the towel on the bench.
- Tip the nuts into a strainer and allow the skins to fall to the bottom.
- To roast nuts such as almonds and walnuts, you must first blanch them in boiling water for 2–3 minutes to loosen their skins.
- Strain, then peel away the skin.
- Put the nuts on a tray and roast in the centre of a preheated 150°C (300°F/Gas 2) oven.
- Shake the tray often to ensure an even roast.
- The nuts will continue to cook on removing from the oven so take them out when they are a light brown colour. Desiccated or shredded coconut may be roasted in the same way.
- The night before, mix the oats, lemon juice and 125 ml
- (4 fl oz/1/2 cup) water together in a bowl.
- Cover and soak overnight.
- In the morning, grate the apples, with their skin on, and add to the bowl of soaked oats.
- Add the yoghurt and honey and mix together well.
- Divide the muesli among four bowls, top with your fruit selection and sprinkle with the hazelnuts.
