Cherry & Granola Breakfast Parfait

Summer isn’t my favorite season. There, I said it. It’s out in the open now. I know a lot of you love and adore summer. Hey, to each there own. I’m more of a fall gal. I only like summer when I’m sitting on the beach in my bikini sipping a fruity cocktail.

I blame my dislike for summer on the heat. I just can’t handle the relentless dog days of summer. Having my thighs stick to the seat of my car, my hair uncontrollably frizzed out, and sweat in places it doesn’t belong is not appealing to me.

I gotta give summer credit, though. It sure does provide the best produce. Juicy peaches, ripe plums, big, red tomatoes, sweet blueberries, and vibrant cherries. I suppose it’s an even trade off–heat for fresh fruits and veggies.

I’ve been slicing and eating juicy peaches like they’re going out of style, which, in a few weeks, they will be. There have been endless bowls of blueberries in my refrigerator since the end of spring, tupperware containers of cubed sweet melons of every variety, and, my favorite, collanders of candy-like red cherries.

I pluck the beautiful red orbs from the collander every time I open my refrigerator door. Sure, they’re great right from the stem, but they’re even better reduced down to a sweet compote and spooned over tangy Greek yogurt with a sprinkling of crunchy granola.

Cherry & granola breakfast parfaits–breakfast at it’s finest.

I used my very trusty OXO cherry pitter to pit the 4 cups of cherries needed for this recipe. Thanks to OXO, pitting cherries is a breeze.

The compote is a cinch to throw together. Add the 4 cups of cherries to a pot, along with cherry juice and agave syrup. Let the mixture simmer for 40-45 minutes, and you have yourself a pot of sweet cherries in syrup.

Stacy from Wicked Good Kitchen this genius idea to add cherry juice to her tart cherry pie filling recipe. So, I did like she did and added some cherry juice to the compote. The cherry juice adds an extra oomph of cherry flavor and sweetness. Thanks, Stacy!

I truly believe that Greek yogurt and cherries are made for each other. The sweet cherries and tangy yogurt are the perfect balance of flavors.

Add a scoop of your favorite tangy Greek yogurt to a jar and top it with a heaping spoonful of sweet cherry compote and a generous helping of your favorite granola.

If you’re not a fan of yogurt parfaits, no worries. You can spoon it over vanilla yogurt, use it in this Cherry Vanilla Almond Overnight Oatmeal by The Spiffy Cookie, pour it over warm oatmeal, or blend it into a smoothie.