In the tall cupboard next to the fireplace sits a row of fat glass jars, like those in an old-fashioned sweetshop. Jars that contain rolled oats and golden raisins, pumpkin seeds and flaked almonds. There’s a screw-capped pot of chia seeds as grey as a January sky and a glowing jar of amber maple syrup. This cupboard is where I mix oats with seeds and dried fruits for Bircher muesli and where I keep bread for toast – a breakfast cupboard if you like. It is close to the hob where flaked almonds are toasted in a cast-iron pan. Almonds that will introduce a pleasing snap and crackle to my winter breakfast, just as Ricicles did all those years ago.
Grain steeped in apple juice or milk tends be called “overnight oats” nowadays, but to me it will be forever be known as Bircher muesli, even though my own inclusion of kefir and chia seeds would have seemed heretical to the late Dr Bircher-Benner, the inventor of this healthy breakfast. His recipe for “little mush” contained as much apple as oats. Mine slightly less so, the russets or Cox’s coarsely grated and stirred in late in the proceedings to keep their winter crispness.
On particularly cold days, the apples will be baked rather than raw. When the oven is on, I take the opportunity to put in a few fat Bramleys, apples that will froth in the heat. Scraped from its glossy brown skin, the flesh is kept in a bowl until ready to be stirred into muesli, a tub of custard or over a cold roast pork and crackling sandwich.
The cupboard is also where I will find most of the dry ingredients for a date loaf. The not-quite-malt-loaf I make for slicing midmorning. There are two versions, one made with eggs and a second one I first made for a vegan friend, substituting the sunflower oil for the eggs. Both good, keeping in fine condition for almost a week, getting darker and stickier by the day.
Baked apple Bircher muesli
My version, rather than the eponymous Dr Bircher’s. Toasting the almonds lends a deep nuttiness to the finished recipe and, even after an overnight sleep in the fridge, a welcome crunch. The consistency will seem a little wet until the mixture has had its time in the fridge, when the chia seeds and oats have a chance to plump up. The muesli will keep in a stoppered jar or covered dish in the fridge for 2 or 3 days. Enough for 6. Ready in 12 hours
kefir 200ml
maple syrup 4 tbsp
natural yoghurt 250g
flaked almonds 4 tbsp
rolled oats 80g
chia seeds 2 tbsp
golden raisins 75g
apple juice 200ml
cooking apples 1 kg
Pour the kefir into a mixing bowl, stir in the maple syrup and yoghurt. Warm a shallow pan over a moderate heat, scatter in the flaked almonds and leave to toast for a few minutes, occasionally shaking the pan so the nuts colour evenly. Tip them into the mixing bowl.
Stir in the rolled oats, chia seeds and raisins, pour in the apple juice and leave in the fridge overnight.
The next day, heat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Core the apples and score a line around the middle of each, then place them snugly in a baking dish. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the apples have risen and their flesh is soft and frothy. Remove from the oven and let the apples cool.
Using a spoon, scrape the apple flesh from its skin and stir into the Bircher muesli. Correct the texture if necessary, adding a little more apple juice or yoghurt as necessary.
Date and raisin loaf
Slicing this dark loaf for friends, we debated whether to butter or not. The consensus was a strong no, but a day or two later I found myself slathering on the salted Irish with generosity and that got my vote too. To make a vegan version, use 100ml of sunflower oil in place of the eggs, adding it with the tea, dates and raisins. Makes 1 loaf, enough for 8 or more. Ready in 1 hour and 50 minutes
black tea 125ml
prunes or dates 100g, stoned weight
light muscovado sugar 100g
date syrup 150g
black treacle 2 tbsp
plain flour 250g
baking powder 1 tsp
salt a pinch
rolled oats 50g
eggs 2
sultanas or raisins 150g
To finish:
date syrup a little
You will need a deep rectangular cake tin measuring 20cm x 9cm and lined with baking paper.
Put on the kettle and make the tea. Roughly chop the prunes or dates, then let them soak in the hot tea.
Heat the oven to 160C/gas mark 3. Weigh the muscovado sugar then, with the sugar still on the scale pan, pour the date syrup and treacle on to it. Warm the date syrup, light muscovado sugar and black treacle in a small saucepan, without stirring, until the sugar has dissolved.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and oats. Break the eggs into a small bowl, beat lightly with a fork.
Stir the warm date syrup mixture into the flour together with the tea, dates and the raisins and the beaten eggs.
Spoon the mixture into the lined cake tin. It will be quite soft, similar in texture to a gingerbread batter. Bake for 55 minutes to an hour, until risen and lightly springy. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. While the cake cools, brush the surface with a little more date syrup.
Follow Nigel on Instagram @nigelslater
