Saturday, April 18, 2009

Strawberry Parfait with Fresh Normandy 'Cream'

These individual parfaits make a beautiful spring dessert. Sweet, tart, creamy, and peppery flavors all combine to pop in the mouth.

First prepare the strawberries: combine 1/4 cup packed organic brown sugar and 1 and 1/2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add 1 cup sliced strawberries. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours, stirring occasionally. You could substitute balsamic vinegar in a pinch if you can't find raspberry vinegar.

Place 2 tablespoons vegan sour cream (such as Tofutti) in a bowl, in place of creme fraiche. Stir in 3/4 tsp. raw sugar, until the sugar dissolves. Cover and chill.

In a food processor, combine 1 cup sliced strawberries, 2 tablespoons raw sugar, 1 and 1/4 teaspoons lemon juice and a dash of black pepper. Puree until smooth, then strain through a sieve over a bowl and discard the solids (i.e. the seeds). Transfer to the mixing bowl of an ice cream machine and freeze according to manufactorer's instructions - as always, make sure you read your directions ahead of time; I know that my freezer bowl has to freeze at least 24 hours prior to adding in a mix. Because there is so little liquid making the sorbet in this recipe, my blade actually couldn't mix it up very well, so I might recommend doubling the sorbet recipe and just eating any leftover separate from the parfaits!

Transfer your sorbet to a freezer-safe container and freeze for an additional hour, until firm.

To assemble the parfaits, place 6 tablespoons sorbet in each of 2 champagne flutes. Top each with 6 tablespoons strawberries. Dollop 1 tablespoon of 'cream' over each serving, and drizzle evenly with the remaining juices from the strawberry mixture. Each parfait is 280 calories. Garnish with mint sprigs if you like for a pretty presentation.

Cost:
strawberries $2.50

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