In my head, parfaits have always kind of been a throwaway dish. It’s something you can just toss together at the last second. Take some yogurt, throw in a few pieces of fruit, sprinkle on some granola…blah, an inoffensive, but also uninspiring parfait. So, you’ll have to forgive me for never making something on parfait day the past few years. Well, that all changed with this recipe. Yes, it’s a bit more involved, but this is something you could serve for breakfast or as a dessert. It is bursting with flavor and texture too. Lemony crumbled shortbread, a vanilla whipped cream, a luscious sauce and seasonal fresh fruit all make this bowl pop!
Shortbread Parfait
adapted from Saveur
I have toned down the sugar/vanilla slightly from the original recipe as it seemed it would’ve been overkill. It turned out perfectly balanced.
Shortbread
2.5 cups flour
Kosher salt
2 sticks of butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
Lemon(s)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 egg yolks
Fruit
1 lb strawberries
2 tbsp sugar
1.5 tsp of lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
Mango, peeled and diced
1.5 cups blueberries
Whipped Cream
2 cups heavy cream
⅔ cup sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the flour and a pinch of Kosher salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle, cream the butter with ¾ cup of sugar, the zest of 1 lemon, 2 tbsp lemon juice, and the vanilla, until light and creamy. Add in the yolks, one at a time, until fully incorporated.
Lower the motor speed to stir/low, adding in the flour/salt mixture, until fully combined. Divide the dough into 6 baseball-sized portions, then flatten them on the prepared baking sheet.
Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden and firm. Move to a cooling rack and allow to cool fully. These will hold in an airtight container for a few days.
While the cookies bake, take 6-8 strawberries, hulling and slicing them, and place into a bowl. Stir in the sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla, and cover, refrigerating at least 6 hours or overnight.
When ready to assemble, hull and slice the remaining strawberries, peel the mango, and measure out the blueberries and reserve.
Prepare the whipped cream in a bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk, mixing all the ingredients on low speed until frothy, then increase to high, beating until stiff peaks hold.
Prepare the sauce by transferring the strawberry/sugar mixture to a blender, adding in ½ cup of blueberries, and half of the mango. Puree until smooth.
To serve, place a dollop of whipped cream in a bowl, breaking up half a cookie over top. Spoon in some fruit and cover with some sauce, duplicating this layering once more. Repeat with remaining ingredients in other bowls.
______________________________ Copyright 2023, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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