In my life, I have moved more than a dozen times. Each time more painful than the last. As I age and grow, as time continues to move forward, I collect more. Accumulate more. Some of my things are small and some large. Some fit neatly into a box, and some have the awkwardness of a first date. All these things, whether they are big or small, shiny or new, they provide me with a sense of familiarity and comfort. Each time I move or travel. When I've eventually found a place to call home, I unpack the boxes like it was Christmas morning, neatly and carefully. I am overwhelmed by the memories attached, the smells, the feels. To another, they may be considered junk, but to me they are pieces of my past. Treasures.
The way I feel towards my things, the connections, it is also shared with the food I eat. A slice of apple pie reminds me of my mother, my earliest memory baking in the kitchen, vanilla ice cream, cheddar cheese, the apple tree beside our house growing up. Raspberries remind me of a bakery in the small town I was raised, whom had the most delicious raspberry tarts. I am also reminded of being a kid, picking raspberries by the fence, delighted when I had found more than two. The first breakfast to be had in our new home, surely needed to be one to remember. Inspired by a chocolate cherry parfait on the menu from a previous nights dinner, immediately, I raced home to build something similarity sweet and delightful. A tub of my favorite
, with a touch of maple syrup and vanilla. The raspberries were boiled and thickened with some sugar and lemon juice. Swirled between layers of yogurt, a few almonds for garnish. A breakfast to remember.
RASPBERRY PARFAIT RECIPE
makes 3 - 4
INGREDIENTS
12 oz (340g) frozen raspberries
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp lemon juice
18 oz (500g) Greek style plain yogurt
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp sliced almonds
In a medium size saucepan on low-medium heat, add the raspberries, sugar, corn starch, and lemon juice. Let the raspberries simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. The frozen berries will thaw and then become a thin syrup consistency. Once this happens, continue to simmer until they thicken to desired consistency. Remove from the heat and set to the side to cool.
Once the berries have cooled, mix the Greek yogurt with maple syrup and vanilla.
In 4 small jar, layer with yogurt, raspberries, yogurt, raspberries, and then finish with yogurt. Sprinkle almonds on the top and serve.
Raspberry syrup can be refrigerated for up to one week and stored in the freezer for 3 months.
