Berries and Cream Parfaits

by Debbie Wright in Blog Posts, Desserts and Sweets, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Recipes

February 1, 2015

When you need a quick and easy dessert that’s as healthy as it is pretty this Berries and Cream parfait is the perfect solution. The great thing about this recipe is that it can be adapted to many different diets and eating styles.

We were recently invited to dinner at the home of friends who follow a low carb/paleo lifestyle. I wanted to bring a dessert that would be a sweet decadent treat but still be healthy enough to fit in to any eating plan. And don’t forget that berries are loaded with vitamins, antioxidants and fiber. The recipe below also shows modifications that can be made to allow this dessert to fit into a vegan lifestyle as well. Enjoy!

Berries and Cream Parfaits

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
• 1 1/2 cups fresh blackberries
• 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
• 1/4 cup Grand Marnier or light rum (or substitute with orange juice or apple juice)
• an 8 ounce container of cup of mascarpone cheese*
• 1 cup of heavy whipping cream*
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons honey (or maple syrup or coconut sugar)
• a few drops of liquid stevia to taste (depending on how sweet you like the cream)

* You can also use 16 ounces of full fat or 2% Greek yogurt instead of the mascarpone and heavy cream. For a vegan dessert, substitute cashew cream for the cheese, cream and yogurt.

Directions:

Rinse the berries in a large colander and allow to drain thoroughly. Set aside 4 raspberries, 4 blackberries and 4 blueberries. Remove 2 cups of berries and place in a small bowl with the honey and Grand Marnier or whatever liquid you are using). Using an immersion blender (hand held stick blender), blend the berries and liquid into a sauce adding more liquid as needed to have a pourable sauce. Set aside.  NOTE – if you don’t have an immersion blender you can do all of this in a Nutri-bullet type blender as well.

In a small mixing bowl, mix the mascarpone cheese and heavy cream with an electric mixer until just blended and smooth. Don’t over mix or you’ll and up with something similar to whipped cream (which is still good but the cream should be of a consistency that it can be poured over the berries).

Place a half cup of mixed berries into each of 4 clear glass dessert dishes or bowls. Spoon about 2-3 tablespoons of the berry sauce over the berries and then spoon  2-3 tablespoons of the cream over the sauce and berries. Repeat layers. Place a raspberry, blueberry and blackberry on the top of each parfait. Any leftover berry sauce or cream can be added on top when dessert is served.