Tuesday, 03 May 2011
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Recipe: Quick & Easy Chocolate Strawberry Parfait
There are some nights when all you want is dessert. This was just one of those nights. I was craving chocolate, but with the hopes of eating healthier I had eliminated all cookies, candy, and chocolate from my kitchen. What a mistake that was! Believe me this only lasted a few days! I knew I had an abundance of strawberries, but I needed more then just fruit to satisfy my sweet chocolate craving. I started rummaging through the kitchen and found some leftover ladyfingers in the back of the cabinet. A perfect airy cookie base, to absorb flavor, and add texture to more then just Tiramisu. I had a small container of heavy whipping cream (that was almost near its expiration date) and some sweet ice wine from a good friend. I decided I was going to create a parfait with inspiration from glasses that I had previously used to serve tapioca. The glasses reminded me of the large trifle dishes, but trifles normally contain cake so this would be a parfait. It won't be as luscious as any Nigella Lawson trifle, but I still created something great that would satisfy any sweet tooth.
Strawberries: I marinated a pint of sliced strawberries with a decent splash of ice wine* (3-4 Tablespoons) and some fine sugar. Let these sit while you prepare the rest.
Chocolate whipped cream: 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, Sugar to taste (2 teaspoons for me the berries were sweet), 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla, pinch of grey salt or sea salt
Procedure: Whip cream and cocoa to soft peaks being careful not to overbeat. Add sugar little by little to taste as you go. Finish with vanilla and pinch of salt. Layer broken lady fingers at the bottom of the glasses, spoon strawberries with juice over the lady fingers, top berries with a layer of chocolate whipped cream. Repeat steps until glasses are filled and finish with a dusting of cocoa powder.
*You can also use any liquor you have on hand.
What are your favorite quick desserts to put together that use just a few ingredients?
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About the Author
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- From: Amanda
- Name: Amanda
- Location: New York City, New York, United States
- About Me: I am a recent culinary graduate who lives to eat and explore. I knew I could never be tied to a cubicle for the rest of my life, but with a degree in Economics my choices were limited. I decided to drop my boring office job to pursue my life long passion of food at the French Culinary Institute.
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Comments (12)
Looks amazing! Maybe I'll make these for Mother's Day! :)
looks really good!!
but can we replace whipped cream with something else?@prettykay04@xanga - of course! Pudding, whipped ricotta...possibilities are endless! Change around the fruit or cookie base too.
@xmzchoix@xanga - i agree :] looks soo good.
Trifles and parfaits are awesome, because they're versatile. I once made a trifle to hide the fact that my mini chocolate chip muffins were botched. Needless to say they tasted good but looked awful because they didn't release from the pan. (This was one of my first baking experiences.) I took out what I could and layered them in a dish with whipped cream, pudding and strawberries. No one was the wiser.
all looks right, except you macerate fruits, you don't marinade them ;)
@kaos_calle@xanga - It's marinate in that use ;) Yes you do macerate fruits or vegetables, which draws out moisture using sugar or salt. You can also marinate them too :) I've often seen the word "marinate" used when sliced fruit is mixed with alcohol of some kind. In the end it is something to moisten and flavor the berries which won't be sitting that long as it's a fast dessert to prepare.
@Amanda - now that you explain it that way, it does make sense. after all, marinading is used to give a moist feel to food.
thanks :D@kaos_calle@xanga - of course! :)
that looks reallyyy yummy! :)
yumm It looks delish!
Looks good, thanks for sharing. I love cooking, especially desserts [;