Apple Pie Breakfast Parfait {and thoughts on embracing photo gaffes}

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Christina Ross
Christina Rosshttps://www.healthyfoodforliving.com/
I'm a human being on planet earth. I've lived hundreds of lifetimes. In this incarnation I'm here to advance medicine.

These grainy pictures were actually taken during not the first, but the second photo shoot for this parfait.

The first time I made the parfait, I layered the still-warm cooked apples with the cold yogurt, which resulted in the glass fogging up – clearly (pun not intended) not the best conditions for food photography.

The very next morning, I set out to make the parfait once again – this time chilling the cooked apples in the fridge until cool. I thought I was all set to proceed, but once I starting taking the photographs, I realized that the overcast 7:30 a.m. sky was keeping any decent morning sunlight from entering into our apartment.

NameApple Pie Breakfast Parfait
CuisineAmerican
Prep Time15 minutes
Cooking Time10 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Servings4 servings
Yield4 parfaits

The point of all this rambling? Only to explain the grainy quality of the photos.

Apple Pie Breakfast Parfait {and thoughts on embracing photo gaffes}

Now, I know I’m no food photographer… but my skills have definitely improved over the years, and when photos don’t come out as I’d hoped, it’s rather disappointing.

Apple Pie Breakfast Parfait {and thoughts on embracing photo gaffes}

I seriously considered scrapping this set of photographs as well, but then a funny thing happened.

Apple Pie Breakfast Parfait {and thoughts on embracing photo gaffes}

The more I looked at the photos, the more I liked them!

Apple Pie Breakfast Parfait {and thoughts on embracing photo gaffes}

I am typically a chipper early rise, but every now and then there’s the occasional morning when my head is a little foggy and I make my daily cup of decaf coffee (maybe I should make it caffeinated on those days?) while blearily rubbing my eyes.

Although certainly not your typical crisp & bright pictures, I think these photographs capture those kind of early morning hours in a rather lovely way: muted, soft, and slightly out-of-focus.

So, despite breaking the photography rule of shooting in low light without a suitably open aperture, I’ve grown rather fond of these pics.

Apple Pie Breakfast Parfait {and thoughts on embracing photo gaffes}

Grainy photos aside, this parfait is actually quite beautiful… I just love layered dishes in a pretty glass!

The layers include: an apple pie-spiced yogurt and applesauce mixture, caramelized apples in a luscious cider sauce, and crisp granola.

Apple Pie Breakfast Parfait {and thoughts on embracing photo gaffes}

This parfait truly does taste like apple pie filling layered with yogurt and granola – for breakfast.

Although I already miss my daily dose of fresh organic cherries and other summer fruits, I’m ready to embrace apple season with open arms… literally. I start looking forward to apple picking as soon as the air becomes cool and crisp. There are a number of orchards in Massachusetts, and as long as the one we choose offers apple cider doughnuts, I will be a happy camper ;).

Apple Pie Breakfast Parfait {and thoughts on embracing photo gaffes}

Ingredients

  • 1 medium apple, preferably organic
  • 2 tsp butter
  • 2 tsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp apple pie spice, divided (alternately, you can use 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon, and 1/8 tsp each of ground nutmeg and cloves)
  • 1/4 cup apple cider
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used 0%)
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/4 cup granola of your choice, I suggest my Apple Cinnamon Granola

Directions

Core the apple:

and chop into 1/2-inch pieces (you may also peel the apple, if you so choose).

Heat butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the apple chunks and brown sugar, and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Sprinkle apple chunks with 1/2 tsp apple pie spice:

stir. Pour in apple cider, reduce heat to low, and simmer until apples are soft and cider has reduced, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove apples from heat and let cool.

In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt:

applesauce, and remaining 1/2 tsp apple pie spice.

Set out a glass:

Spoon in a bit of the yogurt-applesauce mixture into the glass, followed by some of the granola and a few spoonfuls of the apples. Repeat layers until the glass is full.

Estimated Nutrition Per Serving

  • Calories: 250 kcal
  • Protein: 10g
  • Carbohydrates: 35g
  • Dietary Fiber: 5g
  • Sugars: 22g
  • Fat: 8g
  • Saturated Fat: 2g
  • Cholesterol: 10mg
  • Sodium: 45mg
  • Potassium: 320mg

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