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My perfect breakfast, but better

Farmers' market parfait gives yogurt the spotlight

This might as well be a tub of pure gold. Greek Yogurt Parfait at Little Italy Saturday Mercato Farmers' Market.
This might as well be a tub of pure gold. Greek Yogurt Parfait at Little Italy Saturday Mercato Farmers' Market.
To find the yogurt stand, look for a bright Mediterranean table cloth, and this sign.

Left to my own devices, my breakfast of choice these days is a blueberry parfait. To some, the mixture of fruit, yogurt, and granola may never constitute a satisfying breakfast. To them I point out the word parfait comes from the French word for perfect, so at least etymology is on my side.

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However, like any self-respecting foodie I also live to spend a morning leisurely browsing a farmers' market. A good market combines all the thrills of regionally grown produce, locally made foodstuff, and incredibly slow, ambling, indecisive shoppers; and no market in town offers better vendors or less-decisive shoppers than Little Italy's Saturday Mercato.

It's there I found a booth labeled simply Greek Yogurt Parfait, located for the moment just north of State Street. The guy working the booth actually couldn't tell me much else about it other than the name of the guy who hired him. That, and an insistence that this locally made Greek yogurt is naturally made and hormone- and antibiotic-free.

Of course I was glad to hear that, as I was already gulping it down like I was afraid I might never eat again. The $7 parfaits top whole or lowfat yogurt with fruit and granola from other nearby market stands; in this case blueberries, strawberries, raisins and pomegranate seeds. You'll also get a little honey if you like. Or you can 86 one fruit or another — preferably the raisins.

Given the amount of fruit used on my parfait, I initially thought the $7 cost to be a bit high. Then I took a bite and realized two things. One: the yogurt, not the fruit, is the star of this meal. Two: there was enough yogurt in this plastic bowl to last well past breakfast. I should have gotten a cap for it to pack home. Either way, it made it to my fridge and fed me generously for a couple more days. Some of the best yogurt I've ever eaten, better than even my favorite, store-bought Greek yogurt brands.

I guess you can just buy a tub of the stuff — no parfait — for $6 per what looks like a 16-ounce container. This might be a good way to go if you don't want to eat parfait while you shop for seasonal avocados or butternut squash. But at least pick up some of the same fruit and granola offered by other Mercato vendors so it's legitimately parfait.

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This might as well be a tub of pure gold. Greek Yogurt Parfait at Little Italy Saturday Mercato Farmers' Market.
This might as well be a tub of pure gold. Greek Yogurt Parfait at Little Italy Saturday Mercato Farmers' Market.
To find the yogurt stand, look for a bright Mediterranean table cloth, and this sign.

Left to my own devices, my breakfast of choice these days is a blueberry parfait. To some, the mixture of fruit, yogurt, and granola may never constitute a satisfying breakfast. To them I point out the word parfait comes from the French word for perfect, so at least etymology is on my side.

Sponsored
Sponsored

However, like any self-respecting foodie I also live to spend a morning leisurely browsing a farmers' market. A good market combines all the thrills of regionally grown produce, locally made foodstuff, and incredibly slow, ambling, indecisive shoppers; and no market in town offers better vendors or less-decisive shoppers than Little Italy's Saturday Mercato.

It's there I found a booth labeled simply Greek Yogurt Parfait, located for the moment just north of State Street. The guy working the booth actually couldn't tell me much else about it other than the name of the guy who hired him. That, and an insistence that this locally made Greek yogurt is naturally made and hormone- and antibiotic-free.

Of course I was glad to hear that, as I was already gulping it down like I was afraid I might never eat again. The $7 parfaits top whole or lowfat yogurt with fruit and granola from other nearby market stands; in this case blueberries, strawberries, raisins and pomegranate seeds. You'll also get a little honey if you like. Or you can 86 one fruit or another — preferably the raisins.

Given the amount of fruit used on my parfait, I initially thought the $7 cost to be a bit high. Then I took a bite and realized two things. One: the yogurt, not the fruit, is the star of this meal. Two: there was enough yogurt in this plastic bowl to last well past breakfast. I should have gotten a cap for it to pack home. Either way, it made it to my fridge and fed me generously for a couple more days. Some of the best yogurt I've ever eaten, better than even my favorite, store-bought Greek yogurt brands.

I guess you can just buy a tub of the stuff — no parfait — for $6 per what looks like a 16-ounce container. This might be a good way to go if you don't want to eat parfait while you shop for seasonal avocados or butternut squash. But at least pick up some of the same fruit and granola offered by other Mercato vendors so it's legitimately parfait.

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