a glass act :: easy breakfast verrines

Visionary breakfast. "Verrine" means "glass" in French. Use shot glasses, candle cups or other small glass vessels.

They say you eat with your eyes first, and verrines are the perfect way to feed your vision. A verrine is simply a petite parfait, designed to showcase colorful, contrasting flavors and textures. They can be sweet or savory, but they always center on small tastes of food, artfully arranged in glass vessels. It's like making a culinary stained-glass window.

Clockwise from L: blueberry soy yogurt with pineapple and papaya;  blueberry and vanilla soy yogurt with raspberries and oatmeal; vanilla soy yogurt with pineapple, raspberries and cinnamon

I first ran across verrines in 2010 when I spoke at Paris Vegan Day. They were the big culinary trend in France then, and all the kitchenware stores were selling fancy verrine glass and dish sets. The craze is just starting to catch on here in the US, as evidenced by the verrine sets cropping up for sale in stores like Pier One. [Call me cynical, but with our all-American love of supersize portions, I can't foresee this trend taking hold here.] You don't actually have to purchase special verrine vessels; just look around your house for petite glassware. I simply used shot glasses and small candle glasses that I'd bought awhile back for 50 cents each.

Breakfast verrines are easy and fun to make. Just layer soy, almond or coconut yogurt with fresh fruit [finely diced], jam, granola, oats, etc. Aim for contrasting colors. Eat with a demitasse spoon and savor slowly.