Gingered-Cherry Parfaits

These parfaits are a great, make-ahead dessert. If you top them with some crumbled cookies and maybe even a blueberry or two, it'll be a patriotic end to any dinner party

Cookie Topping (optional)
 8 to 10 Ginger Snap Cookies
Gingered Cherry Sauce:
 1 pt pitted cherries (frozen or fresh)
 1/4 cup sugar or honey
 1 inch knob of ginger, peeled
 1 pinch salt
Pastry Cream (or sub yogurt):
 2 cups milk
 6 egg yolks
 0.75 cup sugar
 2 tbsp flour
 2 tbsp corn starch
 1 tsp vanilla

Crush your cookies.
1

Place the cookies in a thick, ziplock bag and using a rolling pin, crush them. Set aside.

Make your gingered-cherry sauce.
2

In a deep skillet, add the cherries, the sugar, a pinch of salt, and grate the ginger over top. Allow to cook into a thick sauce- 10-12 minutes- over medium heat. Remove from heat, and allow to come to room temperature. Transfer to a bowl, and then allow to cool in the fridge.

Make the pastry cream.
3

Heat the milk in a heavy bottom pan. In another bowl, whisk the sugar into the egg yolks, and then add in the flour and corn starch. Whisk to incorporate.

4

Pour the heated milk into the sugary egg yolk mixture, very slowly, while whisking. Pour the mixture back into the heavy-bottom pan and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Continue cooking and whisking another 3-5 minutes, until it starts to thicken (lift up the whisk to see if it sticks).

5

Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

6

Pass the pastry cream through a mesh colander or screen into a bowl, and allow to come to room temp. Lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming, and let cool in the fridge.

Assemble parfaits.
7

In small glasses, alternate layers: a dollop of cream, then a dollop of gingered cherry sauce. Right before serving, top with the crushed cookies.

Ingredients

Cookie Topping (optional)
 8 to 10 Ginger Snap Cookies
Gingered Cherry Sauce:
 1 pt pitted cherries (frozen or fresh)
 1/4 cup sugar or honey
 1 inch knob of ginger, peeled
 1 pinch salt
Pastry Cream (or sub yogurt):
 2 cups milk
 6 egg yolks
 0.75 cup sugar
 2 tbsp flour
 2 tbsp corn starch
 1 tsp vanilla

Directions

Crush your cookies.
1

Place the cookies in a thick, ziplock bag and using a rolling pin, crush them. Set aside.

Make your gingered-cherry sauce.
2

In a deep skillet, add the cherries, the sugar, a pinch of salt, and grate the ginger over top. Allow to cook into a thick sauce- 10-12 minutes- over medium heat. Remove from heat, and allow to come to room temperature. Transfer to a bowl, and then allow to cool in the fridge.

Make the pastry cream.
3

Heat the milk in a heavy bottom pan. In another bowl, whisk the sugar into the egg yolks, and then add in the flour and corn starch. Whisk to incorporate.

4

Pour the heated milk into the sugary egg yolk mixture, very slowly, while whisking. Pour the mixture back into the heavy-bottom pan and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Continue cooking and whisking another 3-5 minutes, until it starts to thicken (lift up the whisk to see if it sticks).

5

Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

6

Pass the pastry cream through a mesh colander or screen into a bowl, and allow to come to room temp. Lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming, and let cool in the fridge.

Assemble parfaits.
7

In small glasses, alternate layers: a dollop of cream, then a dollop of gingered cherry sauce. Right before serving, top with the crushed cookies.

Gingered-Cherry Parfaits

2 Comments

  1. Angelo on July 3, 2018 at 10:54 pm

    This looks great I’d like to try it. But what would you recommend for milk & flour alternatives?

    • Fresh Forker on July 9, 2018 at 3:55 pm

      Hi Angelo! So the milk and flour are just for creating a pastry cream, and both can be totally avoided by creating a similar cream using the cream from a can of coconut milk, a pinch of salt and a 1/2 tsp of vanilla. Whip up using a hand blender to desired consistency! Recipe inspired from Faring Well’s Pumpkin Mini Pies with Coconut Whipped Cream

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