Recipe: Baklava Breakfast Parfaits

Hello, and welcome to the first recipe in my new column, But First, Breakfast! I’ve been thinking about the idea for this series for a long time, probably ever since I started touring to promote my breakfast cookbook, Whole Grain Mornings, and readers told me how much they longed for really simple weekday breakfast ideas.

This series is about real-world, make-ahead breakfasts that you can actually fit into your busy, everyday life. These recipes are either quick enough to conquer on an average weekday morning or, as is the case with today’s baklava parfaits, can be prepped in advance on a weekend or a quiet weeknight (do these even exist anymore?). I promise these recipes will be more exciting than a container of yogurt or an energy bar, but will feel just as easy. So let’s get this thing started, shall we?

My husband is Lebanese and one of the first bakeries we visited on our honeymoon in Morocco had honey-laden sweets at every turn. I was mesmerized, never wanting to leave. I hadn’t realized there were so many varieties of baklava, or so many different ways to work toasty almonds, walnuts, and pistachios into buttery, honey-drenched sweets. I started making excuses for why the bakery sweets were perfectly fine to eat at any time of day (nuts are protein, right?).

When we returned home, I tried to recreate many of the dishes we sampled in our travels. But those nutty, buttery flavors proved elusive … until now.

When I sat down to think about how to work these flavors into a breakfast recipe, the obvious choice was a parfait. I love a rich, creamy yogurt, and could stir in a bit of good honey. I could top that with toasty pistachios, soft dates, and some sort of a buttery, crumble topping. But could it be made feasible for a weekday breakfast? Oh, yes.

Make the Honeyed Crumble topping for these parfaits on a weekend afternoon or evening when you have a little extra time. It is far from difficult (simply brush phyllo dough with honey, oil, and a few spices, and bake), but it does take about 10 minutes in the oven and another 15 or so to cool completely. It will last about 4 days in a covered container on the counter, so if you bake this off at the beginning of the week, you can look forward to colorful honey-kissed parfaits all week.

Before we dive into the recipe, let’s talk about yogurt for a second. I call for plain full-fat yogurt here because that’s what I prefer. A lot of the low-fat or non-fat yogurts actually have more sugar, and I try to make small moves at the grocery store to limit our sugar intake. Plus, to be honest, I love the rich flavor of full-fat yogurt. If you’re going to splurge one time, I’d say these parfaits are a good reason. You’ll notice the difference. That being said, certainly use whatever makes you the happiest.

The really good news: This recipe yields more Honeyed Crumble than you’ll actually need. I have not had a problem finding excellent uses for it around our house. It’s wonderful as is with afternoon tea (I grab little pinches of it as I pass through the kitchen). It’s also killer on top of vanilla ice cream, and it makes a decadent oatmeal or smoothie topping. I could go on. I hope you love it, and them, as much as I did. I’ll see you back here soon.