Gryffindor-y Plum-and-Mango Parfait/Potterhead grows up.

A day without dessert is not a day worth living. A day without running on the treadmill? Yay. A day without taking a bath? Allowed if you don't step out of your room. A day without meals? Totally doable. A day without dessert? Not worth living.

It's OK if it's just yogurt with granulated white sugar (dahi-cheeni/thayir-chakkarai) sprinkled on top. Or a tiny square of Lindt's Dark Chocolate with Almonds and Oranges. There has to be something sweet, preferably with chocolate or peanut butter in it.

And it's more than OK if it's mint chocolate-chip ice-cream with extra dark chocolate chips and hot fudge sauce. Actually, it's the ultimate.

But, sometimes, you have to restrict yourself. You're in charge of making dessert for people who are diabetic, on a diet, and the like. Simple dessert, with healthy fruit, can be a delight... just make sure you use the freshest of ingredients and local produce.

As much as I wanted to make Butterbeer cupcakes in celebration of Harry Potter 7, Part II, I didn't have the ingredients for or the inspiration to, after a hard day at work. So I decided to make something with Gryffindor-y colours, something that is breakfast, dessert and healthy, all at the same time. Damn. I am growing up.

Here's my take on a Plum and Mango parfait.

I've tried to keep it as light and healthy as possible, but feel free to jazz it with greek yogurt or whipped cream and the aforementioned dark chocolate chips. It's all good.

Gryffindor-y Parfait/Plum-and-mango parfait:

1 ripe mango, chopped into bite-size pieces

For the plum sauce:
6-7 ripe plums, stoned and halved
juice of half a lemon, lemon peel
a cinnamon stick
2 star anise
some nutmeg, grated
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup water

Yogurt or Greek Yogurt or Whipped cream

Granola, 1 batch =>preferably with plenty of figs, almonds, walnuts and the like.

Method:

For the plum sauce:

In a medium-sized saucepan, bring together the ingredients for the plum reduction and place on medium heat. Cook all of it together until the plums gets completely softened.

Add more water to keep from burning, if necessary. Add more sugar if your plums are tart.

Take it off the heat. Remove the cinnamon stick, lemon peel and star anise.

For the parfaits:

In a couple of glass bowls (so you can see the layering), place the chopped mangoes in the bottom. Add some of yogurt.

Add the plum sauce.

Add some more yogurt.

Sprinkle with a handful of granola.

You can change the order, add more layers, whatever makes you happy. Just remember to serve it immediately.

This made for an unusually yummy breakfast. I don't know if it was the healthy fruit-and-nut-and-oats-and-honey thing or the tabloid supplement of Deccan Chronicle or the Harry Potter connection (and I must add I was going to watch the movie that day, as well). I was happy.