Summer Series 1 - Week 2
Now that we've learned a bit about the Swiss culture and lifestyle, we're ready to tackle a recipe!
Aside from the more popular foods that we have previously discussed, some dishes that are classic components of the Swiss cuisine are:
Cheese fondue - pieces of bread and fruit dipped into a warm cheese sauce
Raclette - melted cheese dish
Älplermagronen - Swiss macaroni dish
Rösti - shredded potatoes formed into thin, fried, potato pancake
Birchermüesli - cold oatmeal dish with fruits and nuts
Swiss chocolate (super delicious)
Sausages - Romandie & St. Gallen sausages (different varieties and ways to prepare them)
Berner platte - smoked meat platter accompanied by sauerkraut, juniper, potatoes, or beans
Zopf bread - Swiss bread in a braid
Bündner Nusstorte- Swiss walnut bread
But today, we are going to make one of the most popular breakfasts in Switzerland: Muesli. Muesli is essentially a homemade, build your own cereal combined with the idea of overnight oats.
This recipe can be altered as needed to include any of your favorite dried fruits, nuts, fruit, and spices that you'd like!
Now, you can purchase instant Muesli off of Amazon, but it tends to be a little pricey. Try looking for it at a local grocery store, Trader Joes, or Ocean State Job Lot. Basically what Muesli is is comparable to our American version of oatmeal. Therefore, since the basic foundation of this meal is oats, you can either purchase Swiss Muesli specifically, but you can also just supplement it with plain Instant Quaker Oats.
American Muesli - Build Your Own Cold Cereal
Ingredients:
2 cups of Old Fashioned Oats (any brand is fine)
Pinch of Salt
1 Teaspoon of vanilla
1.5 Tablespoons of Water
1/4 Cup of Honey (add more or less as desired; you can also supplement this with maple syrup if you don't like honey)
1 Cup of dry ingredients (any nuts, dried fruit, seeds or spices)
1 Cup of whole milk
1 Cup of plain vanilla yogurt (greek or regular)
Recommended Spices: Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, or All Spice
Directions:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 325F.
Step 2: Mix the dry oats, honey, vanilla, and cup of dry ingredients together in a bowl.
Step 3: Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, butter the paper, and dust it with flour.
Step 4: Spread the oat mixture until it evenly coats the parchment paper.
Step 5: Bake for 15 minutes, then turn over the oats, and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. Check on the oats regularly to ensure that they don't burn.
Step 6: Allow the oats to cool, then pour them into a large bowl, add the yogurt and milk, and allow it to sit for about 15 minutes. While the oats are soaking, slice up any additional fresh fruit that you'd like into it. Divvy up the American Muesli and enjoy! Add more of any the listed ingredients as you'd like.
Step 7: Take a picture of your American Muesli and send it in for a chance to win our summer session contest.