Every winter, B, Maggie and I head down to a cute little township south of Hobart called Eggs and Bacon bay where we rent a shack right on the water’s edge for a weekend of R&R. Before you ask, I have no idea how the bay got it’s name – my first guess was that when it was first discovered the explorers celebrated by lighting a campfire on the beach and eating eggs and bacon for breakfast…. I doubt this is the actual reason, but until I do find out the origins of the area’s name, that’s the story I’m sticking with!
We look forward to our weekend getaway each year but we also try to take a few day trips down that way throughout the year, and the other weekend we jumped in the car with the dog and headed south. We got as far as Cygnet, a quaint little town filled with independant art galleries and stores, antiques markets, larders stocking locally grown produce and little cafes that turn it into delicious brunch and lunch, and of course – as is customary with all small country towns two local pubs, a top one and a bottom one.
We stopped off at one of the cafes for a pot of their famous house-brewed chai and a bite to eat, before wandering around the town. and stopping for a play in the park with Maggie. Our trip was cut short when the looming rainclouds started to crowd the skies overhead, and we made it back to the car just before ithe rain started to bucket down.
The road back to Hobart is dotted with fresh fruit and vegetable stalls where local farmers sell their season produce, most notably apples. We managed to cross a small organic apple stall at the same time that there was a break in the weather, and picked up a large bag of juicy red apples. While some were enjoyed as is, the rest I fried in a little coconut oil in a pan with the intention of adding to porridge before I got the idea to turn them into smaller serves of apple crumble breakfast parfaits.
These healthy dessert pots make perfect breakfast options, being a great blend of carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats. You could easily make up larger amounts of the porridge and crumble to last the week, and then make up individual pots topped with seasonal fruit and yoghurt. To make these pots vegan, use coconut yoghurt or coconut cream instead.
- ½ cup raw buckwheat groats, soaked overnight
- 1.5 cups milk of choice (coconut/nut/dairy)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp currants
- Pinch sea salt
- ⅔ cup roughly chopped almonds
- 1 cup mixed seeds
- ¼ almond meal
- ⅓ cup shredded coconut
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp each ground cloves + cardamom
- 3 Tbsp coconut oil
- 3 Tbsp honey or maple syrup
- 3 large apples, cored and cubed
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- Soak the buckwheat in enough water to cover overnight. In the morning, drain and rinse, and then add your soaked groats to a saucepan with the milk, vanilla, currants and salt and cook over medium to low heat 10 - 15 minutes, until the milk is absorbed and the buckwheat groats are soft, but still slightly chewy. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 170 C || 340 F
- Add nuts, seeds, coconut and spices to a bowl and mix well. Stir through the melted coconut oil and sweetener, then spread on tray and bake 25 - 30 minutes. Stirring every 5 - 10 minutes. Keep a close eye on the crumble for the last 5-10 minutes of the cooking time to ensure that it does not burn. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- Heat a frypan over med-high heat. While the pan is heating, core and dice the apples. Add oil to the pan and once it's hot, add the apples. Sprinkle with the cinnamon and cook, stirring occasionally until golden brown, around 10 minutes. If they start to brown up too quickly, lower the heat slightly.
- To assemble the parfaits, first layer the crumble evenly between four glasses or jars. Spoon over the yoghurt and then the porridge. Lastly, add the apples and some extra yoghurt if you wish.
Can I come with on the R&R trip? Sounds awesome.
These pots look divine lady. I am LOVING all of these autumnal flavours we are being treated to now :)
What a creative parfait. This might just be a way I could eat buckwheat porridge, as it’s usually too assertive of a flavor for me when eaten alone. But I’m determined to find ways I can enjoy it cooked, and this looks like my solution. Plus the mixed seed crumble looks heavenly.