Bits & Morsels - Siggi's

Grapefruit Siggi's with almonds, pumpkin seeds, granola, and blueberries.

Recently, I watched a woman in Food Emporium buy 20 Siggi’s Yogurts, so I had to ask her why she was stocking up at such an alarming rate. Her reply: "Siggi’s is amazing ... and it gives me a real jolt in the morning!" She handed me a few grapefruit-flavored Siggi's to try, and I have been hooked ever since. I wanted to meet the man behind the yogurt I had fallen for, so I tracked down Siggi Hilmarsson, and he graciously invited me to his Tribeca apartment for a cup of coffee and a lesson in the many different ways of eating yogurt. Siggi told me he was homesick for skyr (an Icelandic cultured dairy product, similar to strained yogurt), which he grew up eating in Iceland (he found most of the American yogurt much too sweet). It had to be all-natural with all ingredients sourced from local dairies, and sweetened with agave. So, with that in mind, he started experimenting at home and eventually came up with Siggi’s. Siggi Hilmarsson. My favorite yogurt concoction of Siggi's is how he grew up eating it (passed on to him from his father). The preparation is easy: he pours heavy cream over plain Siggi’s and tops it with brown sugar or blueberries (if they are in season). For breakfast, Siggi eats the grapefruit flavor with pumpkin seeds, almonds, granola, and blueberries. Siggi's is versatile. You can use the plain flavor as a substitute for sour cream or serve it over fruit for breakfast; just add chocolate shavings for dessert. Lately, I have been eating grapefruit Siggi’s capped with a crumbled Bear Naked Granola cookie. Although it’s fat free (it's made from skim milk), it retains a very rich and creamy texture. Siggi's requires 3x as much milk per cup as regular yogurt, and this explains its high cost (about $3 per). Siggi's is a breath of fresh air next to other yogurts, and is now available at many local stores and markets, including Whole Foods and Stop and Shop. For more information go to http://www.skyr.com/products.html

Siggi's Plain.

This is what's NOT in Siggi's, but in many other yogurt brands.

Dishing the thick goodness out.

Pouring in the heavy cream.

Plain Siggi's with heavy cream and brown sugar.

Plain Siggi's with heavy cream and blueberries.

Siggi eats his grapefruit flavor with almonds, pumpkin seeds, granola, and blueberries.

Plain yogurt with oranges and strawberries for breakfast.

Add dark chocolate shavings, and breakfast becomes dessert.

You will find me eating Siggi's grapefruit with a crumbled Bear Naked cookie mixed in.

Using his trusty espresso pot, Siggi whips up a delicious cappuccinos.

Starbucks will soon be offering free Wi-Fi in all of their stores. Starting July 1st, you won't have to buy anything or even create an account. Free internet for all! [Mashable] Michael McCarty of Michael’s is gaining quite a web presence. He now has a blog, a facebook page, and a very popular twitter account. His tweets are basically a daily roll call of everyone lunching at Michael's. His next idea? Offering iPads with breakfast for diners to read the morning papers, digitally. [WSJ] This has not been a good few weeks for veteran restaurants. First Gino closes. And now, Bloom’s deli in the Golders Green section of London. Blooms was a kosher deli that opened in the 1960s and was one of the better-known kosher restaurants in the world. [Save the Deli] Restaurants are starting to offer an additional meal between lunch and dinner. Linner, as some people are calling it, is a light meal eaten between 3 and 5 pm. According to Justin Morel of Cookshop, ".... We have the kitchen, we have the dining room, we have people coming off or going up to the High Line or on an art gallery crawl. It just makes sense to be able to offer them something to eat.” [NY Post]

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