Applesauce Parfait with Cinnamon Breadcrumbs
Each Thursday on Food52, contributor Emily Vikre shares a new way to love breakfast -- because breakfast isn't just the most important meal of the day. It's also the most awesome.
Today: A classic Norwegian dessert gets reworked for breakfast.
There's a Norwegian dessert called "veiled farmgirls." It belongs to the trifle or parfait family of desserts -- homemade applesauce layered with billows of whipped cream and toasted cinnamon breadcrumbs. It's simple and delicious. And, it has some lore in our family because my mother, in addition to the standard tales of walking to school barefoot in the snow uphill both ways, would shame us kids with stories of how they never ever got to eat dessert except on birthdays and the most important holidays. The one time when her mom decided to make veiled farmgirls on just an ordinary day it was soooo unbelievably exciting and was going to be such a treat. But, when they took their first bites they discovered, to their horror, that my grandmother had accidentally used salt instead of sugar, and the dessert was inedible. I still feel terrible on my mother's behalf when I think about this soul-crushing experience.
>>RELATED: Another sweet breakfast treat: Pear Rosemary Danish
I wish I had more willpower, but I can't say I limit my dessert making to only birthdays and the most important holidays. Nor do I have too many scruples about eating veiled farmgirls in its traditional form for breakfast. But, I guess I do have a scruple now and then because the other day when I was craving it, I decided to try to make a slightly less dessert-y version with the simple swap of yogurt for the whipped cream. It made for a different and quite excellent breakfast. Of course, you can also make it with the traditional whipped cream and still eat it for breakfast. It's been done before.
Applesauce Parfait with Cinnamon Breadcrumbs
Serves 4
Applesauce
About 3 pounds cooking apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch chunks
Juice from 1 lemon
1 stick of cinnamon
1/4 cup brown sugar, plus more sugar (brown or white) to taste
1/2 cup water
Pinch of salt
1. Combine all of the ingredients in a heavy bottomed saucepan covered with a lid. Bring to a boil, then turn to low and simmer until the apples are completely soft, about 20 minutes. Taste and add more sugar, if desired.
2. Remove from the heat, fish out the cinnamon stick and then mash well with a potato masher or a fork. Allow to cool before serving in the parfaits.
Parfaits
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter
Homemade applesauce (recipe above)
About 3 cups plain or vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
1. In a nonstick skillet, stir together the breadcrumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and butter and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the crumbs are toasted and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Allow to cool.
2. In 4 bowls or large glasses, make layers of applesauce, breadcrumbs, and yogurt. Top each serving with a scattering of toasted hazelnuts and serve.
Save and print the full recipe on Food52.
Photos by Emily Vikre
This article originally appeared on Food52.com: Applesauce Parfait with Cinnamon Breadcrumbs
