Breakfast parfaits: the best thing you’ll put in your mouth in the morning

OMG. How good are breakfast parfaits? If you haven’t got one of these in your mouth in the morning, you so need to.

I sometimes struggle with finding variety at breakfast time and when I discovered parfaits I was pretty excited because the possibilities are endless. There are a million different fabulous combinations and you can get as creative as you like. Or at completely uncreative. By simply chopping a banana and layering up with yoghurt and muesli out of a box you have a breakfast parfait. BANG.

And because I like to be inspiring, here are some amazing parfaits from Pinterest. They are absolutely nothing like my parfaits but they are fabulous.

Pinterest Parfaits

ParfaitsInspiration

 

Parfaits are great because not only are they easy to make but I love the way you can savour a bunch of different textures in one mouthful. And the way the crunchy layer doesn’t go soggy as it would if it were floating in a bowl of milk. And I love looking at them through the side of the glass and seeing those cute bands of colour stacked up. Like the pile of mattresses in the princess and the pea fairytale.

Truly you can whip up a parfait from anything. The basics required are something creamy, something crunchy and something fruity. You layer them up and Bob’s your uncle; you’ve got yourself a brekky that makes you want to put on a BeeGees record and do some shimmying (or that might just be me). But there is something a little 70’s about the parfait. And I think part of their appeal is the retro factor.

Parfaits take me on a happy trip down memory lane. In the 1970s (yes I was ACTUALLY ALIVE in the 1970s) we went on a day trip to the Big Pineapple near Nambour in Queensland. The Big Pineapple was renowned for their giant tropical fruit parfaits and the experience was as good as all getup. Mmmm… creamy.

The Seventies….

The 1970s: a time when scary clowns ruled the land and children's height was measured in beer cartons.
The 1970s: a time when scary clowns ruled the land and children’s height was measured in beer cartons.

Most kids love them too. Probably more so if you were to add a fun spoon, stripy straw or a cocktail umbrella. None of which I could be arsed doing.

Here are a few parfaits that I have created. They are not as sexy looking as those damn Pinterest ones but to me they taste just as delish.

I make my own granola and syrups/jams. I am lucky enough to have a Thermomix which makes syrup making really easy. But it’s not hard to chuck some fruit and a little sweetener in a saucepan and boil down and then blend it up to a puree. I keep these for a week in the fridge and usually get 3 or 4 brekkys out of them. 

Four of My Favourite Breakfast Parfaits

Parfaits

 

1. Bircher muesli with cinnamon and apple, peach and mandarin syrup, seeds and nuts and blueberries.

2. Gluten-free buckwheat maple granola, coconut yoghurt, green apple, strawberry chia jam.

3. Greek yoghurt, mango, maple toasted granola with nuts and seeds.

4. Vegan chocolate mousse, like this, strawberries, all bran for crunch and homemade raspberry syrup.

For further inspiration, check out:

Sprouted parfait 

Make ahead yoghurt parfaits 

The Japanese do crazy-arse parfaits made from green tea ice-cream and all sorts of wild flavours, textures and colours. Have a look at them here.

Written By

Gillian is a marketing savant and brand strategist with over 20 years of experience in above and below the line marketing, digital strategy and creative direction. She is an exceptional people person who loves to collaborate with clients every step of the way to achieve the best possible outcome. Gillian is also a successful makeup-artist and make-up obsessive who loves to share her tricks of the trade and help women to look good and feel great.

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