Berry Parfait

This Berry Parfait is somewhere between a parfait and a cheesecake. But either way is a quick and easy dessert with not much fuss.

I love the play of the sweet preserved berries with the more tart fresh berries. It makes the dessert not overly sweet. Texture is always important in a dessert like this otherwise it is just a mush. The preserved berries are chewy, the fresh strawberry slices add a crispiness and a beautiful red colour, while the cookie crumble with the nuts add that much needed crunch.

If you do not want use cream cheese, full fat yoghurt will work fine as well. I did not add sugar to the fresh strawberry mix, you want that tartness to cut the sweetness of the conserve and the creaminess of the filling. But have a taste and if too tart add a tablespoon of caster sugar to the strawberries. Make it advance and pop it in the fridge for the flavours to meld and the creamy filling to set a bit.

This is the first recipe that I have developed for My Collections with products available on the site. My Collections is a treasure-trove of the best food, adventures and stories that the world has to offer. It’s the flavour of the unknown – an online wandering goods market of unique tastes, sensations and new adventures.

If you live outside of South Africa and not able to get the products used in the recipe see if you can find another type of berry compote in your local store. A good quality berry preserve would work well. If it is too thick add a dash or two of boiling water to make the mixture a bit thinner as you want a slow pouring consistency. For the cookies, you could use any shortbread and perhaps add a tablespoon or two chopped nuts for added texture.

Berry Parfait

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Ingredients

  

• 400 g fresh strawberries
• 2 tbsp "The Cooksister" Berry and Rose Compote fruit and syrup
• 2 tbsp "The Cooksister" Berry and Rose Compote syrup only
• 3 "Dunk" Pecan Nut and White Chocolate Cookies
• 250 g cream cheese
• 250 ml cream
• "The Cooksister" Berry and Rose Compote for garnish

Instructions

 

• Hull and wash the strawberries and divide in half.
• Mash the one half of strawberries and slice the other half and mix both halves together.
• Soften the cream cheese with the back of a fork and add the cream. Using an electric beater beat the mixture until smooth.
• Fold in the 2 tablespoons compote and 2 tablespoons syrup.
• Place the cookies in a food processor and blitz until fine with a few chunks visible. (Or place in a sandwich bag and bash with a rolling pin)
• Divide the cookie crumbs equally between 4 – 6 glasses.
• Top with half of the cream filling
• Top with the strawberries
• Top with the rest of the cream filling
• Cover each glass with plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour
• Top each parfait with a teaspoon of compote and serve