Meghan Markle’s Layering Technique Makes Yogurt Parfaits Feel Luxe

Sure, you can slop spoonfuls of yogurt into a bowl before heading out the door in the morning, but Meghan Markle wants to encourage even the busiest among us to take time to elevate the ordinary. In episode 2 of her Netflix show “With Love, Meghan,” Markle sets out to quickly prepare dishes to offer her guest, Mindy Kaling. Before the two set out to organize a kids’ birthday party, Markle feeds Kaling an egg frittata and a pretty yogurt parfait. 

Plating yogurt in a pretty glass can elevate store-bought cartons, but Markle goes the extra mile by neatly spooning ingredients into parfait cups and garnishing yogurt with colorful elements. The careful layering of jam and fruit in a see-through glass helps add a touch of romance to the easy-to-assemble dish. Markle first spoons jam into the bottom of glass dishes, then scoops yogurt on top of the jam. She finishes each serving with toppings of coconut flakes, goji berries, and flowers. “I really take a lot of pride in making breakfast for my family,” she says in the episode, before admitting that mornings can be hectic as she works to get her kids to school.

When creating her “parfait par-ay,” as she declares, Markle spoons her homemade apricot preserves into the base of the parfait before dolloping Greek yogurt into the dishes and crowning the layers with fresh raspberries. “This is gorgeous,” marvels Kaling, before asking about the flower sprinkles on top of each parfait. “Are you Tinkerbell?” she teases. Kaling also brings up Markle’s homemade preserves, of which Markle sent out 50 jars as gifts to friends and family.

“This is so good,” Kaling gushes after digging into the parfait. Markle explains that the decorative flower sprinkles are “just an accessory” before pouring bubbles into coupe glasses and presenting Kaling with an assortment of freshly squeezed juices to stir into the drinks. While Markle uses preserves she made for herself at home to create morning parfaits, those of us less inclined to make preserves from scratch can still find ways to add flavor to cartons of Greek or regular yogurt. Though you don’t need much beyond fruit, jam, and yogurt to put a strawberry and apricot parfait recipe together, adding spices to plain yogurt can enhance the presentation. Of course, if you’re looking for a dish with even more pizzazz, you can transform a yogurt parfait into a decadent pie to serve to your next house guests. This kind of culinary effort would surely be approved of by Markle.