Apricot, fennel + macadamia overnight bircher
I love making birchers - there’s something so satisfying about waking up in the morning and starting the day by giving yourself a pat on the back for the little bit of effort you put in the night before. It’s also so easy to make your bircher a little bit special without much faff. This bircher is an absolute taste of summer, bursting with ripe apricots, sweet citrusy fennel and creamy crunchy macadamias.
Top Tip - while this is best made with ripe apricots in the height of summer, it can be made all-year-round - just use tinned apricots for the topping. The bircher will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days.
15 minutes
hands-on time
15 minutes (+ overnight soak)
total time
2
serves
Ingredients
1 tsp fennel seeds
100g rolled oats
2 tbsp chia seeds
finely grated zest of ½ orange
60ml juice from 1 orange
250ml oat or almond milk
75g dried apricots, roughly chopped
¾ tsp ground cardamom
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
To serve
3 ripe apricots (use tinned if needed), halved, stones removed
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp chopped thyme leaves
unsweetened Greek-style yoghurt (coconut if vegan), to serve
50g roasted macadamias, roughly chopped
Method
In a small frying pan over medium heat, toast the fennel seeds until fragrant. Transfer to a mortar and pestle and grind to a fine powder. Transfer to a medium-large bowl or container, and add the rolled oats, chia seeds, orange zest, orange juice, milk, dried apricots, ground cardamom, maple syrup and vanilla, mixing together until well-combined. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
The following morning, in a frying pan over medium heat, cook the apricot halves with the maple syrup, vinegar and thyme, until starting to soften and caramelise. Remove from the heat. Remove the bircher from the refrigerator, give it a stir and divide evenly between two bowls. Serve topped with a dollop of yoghurt (coconut if vegan), the warm apricots (and any cooking syrup) and roasted macadamias.