Photo: Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post
This dessert takes strawberries and whipped cream to another level by piling them into parfaits with a crumble of Amaretto cookies. The berries are simply tossed with a little lemon juice and honey and allowed to sit for a few moments, so they relax, meld together and become even more sumptuous. The whipped cream is folded with Greek yogurt – which imparts a lovely, gentle tang and health benefits– and a dash of almond extract for an aromatic layer of flavor. Layered into glasses with the crushed cookies, it’s a simple but stunning dessert you could make any time of year to rave reviews, but is at its finest in the spring during peak strawberry season.
Strawberry Amaretto Parfaits
Ingredients
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
16 ounces strawberries, sliced
1/3 cup well-chilled heavy cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup plain low-fat Greek-style yogurt
14 small amaretto cookies (2 ounces)
Directions
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and honey. Place the strawberries in a medium bowl, drizzle with the lemon-honey mixture and toss to coat.
Place the cream, sugar and almond extract in a large bowl and whip with an electric beater on high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Using a spatula, gently fold in the yogurt. (Note: this makes twice as much whipped cream as you need for this recipe. What’s left will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.)
Place the cookies in a seal-able plastic bag and crush into large crumbs using a rolling pin or mallet.
To make the parfaits, dollop 1 tablespoon of the cream into each of 4 large wine glasses or parfait glasses. Top each with 2 tablespoons of the cookie crumbs then a quarter of the berries. Top each with 1 tablespoon cream and 1 tablespoon of cookie crumbs. (Parfaits may be made ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours. If making ahead, add the final sprinkle of cookie crumbs right before serving.)
Makes 4 servings
Serving size: 1 parfait
Per serving (using half the whipped cream mixture): Calories 110; Total Fat 4 g (Sat Fat 3 g); Cholesterol 15 mg; Sodium 10 mg; Protein 2 g; Carbohydrates: 17 g; Fiber 1 g; Total Sugars 15 g
