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Breakfast grounded me in Paris. I would wake up, homesick daily, and remember that I had a bowl of oats waiting for me in tiny refrigerator. With my host dad upstairs in his studio and my host mom already at work, slipping out of bed to make tea and prepare the oats was a moment of solitude outside of my room.
I may have French sheep and goat milk yogurt to thank for how deliciously creamy and satisfying, yet not sweet, this breakfast bowl is. My host family liked the brand Vrai, an organic brand of yaourts au lait de chèvre et brebis. I got my dried goji berries and frozen berry mix from the natural supermarket that my host dad thought was entirely too bourgeoisie but that I always looked forward to shopping at, Biocoop. The frozen berries are an ode to the breakfasts my father would make me daily in high school; the gojis remind me of Los Angeles acai bowls that Paris had not come close to perfecting. The bananas, oranges, pomegranate seeds, and walnuts were seasonally available at the bustling farmers market of the 19th arrondissement. Use whatever you have in season and enjoy.
My oats, complete with blueberries, goji berries, and a banana, in a bowl that is an exact replica of one I have at home.
I was obsessed with the trays used by my host family. How something this aesthetic isn't all over the US, I'm not sure. My oats here have coconut and sheep or goat milk yogurt, with a side of frozen mixed berries. Sometimes I would have the last bit of coffee my host dad left behind, seen here with some almond milk.
Creamy Overnight Oats
Makes 1 serving, but double as needed
In a bowl or large mug, mix:
1/4 cup of oats, either instant or old fashioned, or a mix
cinnamon to taste
Then stir until combined:
125g yogurt
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup almond milk
Let rest overnight, covered with a plate or tupperware lid, but not plastic cling film, good god. In the morning, stir again and top with your seasonal fixins of choice. For one bowl, I recommend a sliced banana, half a cup of berries, and a sprinkle of coconut flakes or goji berries. Contrary to what Instagram says, it's not all about the toppings. The oats alone are immensely comforting.
Embarrassingly, the "scattering" trend of food (berries, leaves, flowers, seeds) was all over Instagram. Here is a bowl of my oats, drowning in almond milk with walnuts, satsuma segments, and pomegranate seeds. While I prefer banana, the combination worked deliciously.