Tuesday, October 4, 2022

Bircher Meusli -- #recipes from our travels by @LeslieBudewitz

LESLIE BUDEWITZ:  In September, Mr. Right and I, along with my brother and sister-in-law, spent two weeks in Switzerland and Italy. First we visited Wengen, a tiny mountain village in the Bernese Oberlands where my father, an American airman, was interned during the war – internees were servicemen held by a neutral country – after their bomber developed engine trouble on a raid over Germany and couldn’t make it back to the base in England. Then we joined a tour group for five days of hiking in the Swiss Alps. We celebrated surviving that with four days in Florence, Italy, drinking in the art and wine and eating good food. We even took a cooking class at Chef Factory Florence, where we made our own gnocchi, tiramisu, and more! 

One of the most amazing food experiences of the trip was the breakfast rooms in our fabulous hotels, in both countries. Sadly, I didn’t take pictures! Too sleepy to remember to take my phone with me, I guess. Imagine a display of half a dozen cheeses. Salad greens and tomatoes. Eggs, speck (bacon), sausages, and vegetables. Prosciutto, smoked salmon, even smoked swordfish in one glorious hotel. Breads and pastries. Cereals, yogurt, juices. Cut fruit—oh, my. And of course, coffee made any way you’d like it. And on our last day, in the glorious Hotel Grand Zermatterhof, prosecco!

So why, after all the fabulous breads and frittatas and chocolate tarts and pear and plum and apple tarts, not to mention the pastas and sauces and everything else we had at other meals, am I sharing a recipe for what’s basically overnight oatmeal? Easy. It is easy. And super yummy. Breakfast is one of my three favorite meals, and I’m always looking for ways to change it up. Plus, it’s quintessentially Swiss, created by a Swiss doctor named Bircher – sort of like Kellogg’s corn flakes. (Ha.) I was amused when I found this version to see several comments by older people raised in Switzerland who said yes, this was the traditional version – though of course, there was one curmudgeon who swore it was nothing like the real thing!

We saw Bircher Meusli in at least two breakfast rooms, served in a large bowl or in individual glass containers, which are a great way to store and serve it. It keeps for at least a week in the fridge, and you can vary the flavor by varying the toppings. Because it’s served cold, you may prefer it in warmer weather – or not!

I used quick oats to use up a package I’d bought for another recipe, but am sure regular rolled oats would work equally well. 

And don’t worry. I’ll be sharing lots of recipes inspired by our travels over the winter!

Swiss Bircher Muesli 

2 cups rolled or quick oats

1¾ cups milk

¼ cup apple juice

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 small apple, cored and grated, with the peel

1-2 tablespoons honey 

1½ cups plain (not vanilla) yogurt

a dash of cinnamon 

Toppings: any combination of fresh or dried fruit, nuts, or toasted coconut. I used chopped pecans, toasted coconut, and blueberries. 


Combine oats, milk, apple juice and lemon juice and let sit overnight, covered, in the refrigerator. You can add the grated apple now or in the morning. 

Before serving, add the grated apple, honey (to taste), yogurt, and cinnamon. Mix well. Serve with toppings and let your household make their choices. If you’d like, divide extras in small covered dishes, such as half-pint canning jars or lidded prep bowls and store; keep toppings separate and add before serving. 






Makes about 6 cups. You will feel so Swiss!

What's your favorite breakfast dish when you're at home? A favorite memory from a hotel breakfast room?



From the cover of BLIND FAITH, written as Alicia Beckman (Crooked Lane Books, October 11, 2022)  


Long-buried secrets come back with a vengeance in a cold case gone red-hot in Agatha Award-winning author Alicia Beckman’s second novel, perfect for fans of Laura Lippman and Greer Hendricks.

Two women whose paths crossed in Montana years ago discover they share keys to a deadly secret that exposes a killer—and changes everything they thought they knew about themselves. 







Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries, continuing in July 2022 with Peppermint Barked. She's the winner of Agatha Awards in three categories. Death al Dente, the first Food Lovers' Village Mystery, won Best First Novel in 2013, following her 2011 win in Best Nonfiction. Her first historical short story, "All God's Sparrows," won the 2018 Agatha Award for Best Short Story. As Alicia Beckman, she writes standalone suspense, beginning with Bitterroot Lake (2021) and continuing with Blind Faith (October 2022, Crooked Lane Books).

A past president of Sisters in Crime and a current board member of Mystery Writers of America, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.

Swing by her website and subscribe to her seasonal newsletter, for a chat about the writing life, what she's working on, and  what she's reading -- and a free short story. And join her on Facebook where she shares book news and giveaways from her writer friends, and talks about food, mysteries, and the things that inspire her.

7 comments:

  1. Muesli, the wet version of granola! So glad you had a splendid trip, Leslie.

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    1. Thanks -- it was fabulous! I've always liked muesli and found the Swiss variation even better!

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  2. Overnight oatmeal with a Swiss twist. Lovely.

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  3. I’m definitely going to try this recipe! Thanks for sharing about your trip!

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  4. Yum! Thanks for sharing the recipe and what an amazing trip!

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