The holidays are a time of indulgence. And that’s totally fine – I’m not here to shame anyone into eating healthy. If you want to eat a cinnamon roll for breakfast, I fully support it. In fact, I’ve got a killer recipe for you. Personally, however, I get a little burnt out on rich holiday foods. I definitely enjoy them, but I also hit a wall. So I decided to craft a breakfast recipe that tastes like a sweet treat, but won’t send you into an immediate food coma. It’s simple – a yogurt bowl with poached quince and granola. But the poached quince adds a fruity sweetness with a hint of warming spices. I topped it all off with some homemade granola. Both the poached quince and the granola will keep for about a week, making morning assembly a breeze if you prepare them in advance!
What is quince?!
Quince isn’t the most widely used ingredient, at least in my circle of friends. That said, you’ve probably tried it in the form of membrillo without even knowing it! Membrillo is a sweet quince paste that often makes an appearance on cheese plates. It originated in Spain, though there are popular variations all over the world. But I digress. Quince is in the Rosaceae family, along with pears and apples. It most closely resembles a pear. The difference with quince, however, is that it isn’t eaten raw. It’s very tough and sour in its natural state. (And its seeds are toxic, so you’ll want to make sure not to ingest them.) Cooking it, however, transforms it into a soft, subtly sweet fruit that’s something like a hybrid between an apple and a pear with subtle floral notes.
Do I have to use homemade granola?
Well, no. But it’ll be better. And it’ll make your entire house smell amazing. Plus I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how easy it is. But no, you don’t have to.
I used my recipe for grain-free brown butter cinnamon granola in this, and I highly recommend following suit. That said, you’re also welcome to use your favorite store bought or homemade granola here!
A note on this recipe
If I’m being honest, this is really more of a recipe for poached quince than anything else. The rest of it is basically just “put yogurt in a bowl” and “top with granola.” But since quince isn’t the most commonly used ingredient, I thought it’d be helpful to provide you with an easy and delicious use case for it! If you don’t want to pair this poached quince with yogurt and granola, absolutely feel free to get creative! It would be lovely over vanilla ice cream with some caramel sauce. It’d also be really nice on top of french toast or waffles. The world is your oyster, so have fun. This poached quince recipe will be good for probably 4-6 servings, depending on various factors like the size of your fruit and slices, and what you plan on using it for. Use that information as you will, and happy cooking!
Yogurt Bowl w/ Poached Quince & Granola
Ingredients
Poached Quince
- 1 cup Sauvignon Blanc
- 2 cups Water
- 1 Lemon (Halved)
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 3 Cardamom pods
- 1 Dried star anise
- 1/2 cup Granulated sugar
- 2 Large quince (Peeled, cored, and sliced)
Yogurt bowl
- 2 cups Greek yogurt (Full fat)
- 1 cup Granola (See note above)
Instructions
Poached quince
- Add Sauvignon Blanc, water, sugar, lemon, cinnamon stick, star anise, and cardamom pods to a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Once it's boiling, reduce to a simmer and add your sliced, peeled and cored quince. Cover, and let simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the fruit is fork tender. Then remove from heat and let cool. (If you're storing for later, remove the lemon halves and spices, then transfer fruit and poaching liquid to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to about a week.)
Yogurt bowls
- Add about 1/2 cup Greek yogurt to 4 bowls. Top each serving of yogurt with a few slices of poached quince and a couple spoonfuls of poaching liquid. Then sprinkle about 1/8 cup granola on top and enjoy!
And there you have it! If you make this, I hope you love it. And I also hope you’ll let me know what you think in the comments or on Instagram. I always love hearing from you and seeing your wonderful creations and embellishments. Oh, and I hope you have a very merry Christmas and a lovely holiday season!
If you’re looking for more breakfast recipes, check out my vegan breakfast hash with Hodo Adobo Mexican Crumbles. I’ve also got a decadent croissant bread french toast recipe and a tasty breakfast hash with fermented hot sauce!