On the dessert tray

I have a theory – based on no data whatsoever, thanks – that most folks don’t often make dessert at home. That course seems sadly relegated to the special occasion ghetto – holidays, dinners with friends, etc. I fall into the ‘most folks’ category here, and it’s sad, really, because life is hard – yes? – and why shouldn’t we treat ourselves just because we’re eating at home?

One reason might involve time. It’s usually all we can do to get an entrée on the table and leave enough time in the evening for cleaning the kitchen and watching, say, Chopped. It helps, as it turns out, to have the fixings for a dessert already on hand following one of those dinners with friends. M and I hosted dear friends H and E recently; a very relaxing evening with food that, I am pleased to say, was well received. Among the items served was an American-style parfait with three kinds of berries – blue, straw, and rasp – and whipped cream. This dessert was derived from an earlier failed (yet, oddly enough, readily consumed) attempt at a fruit fool, a recipe from the good folks at Fine Cooking (behind a subscription wall, alas, but keep reading). I decided that I could simplify the recipe a bit, saving myself a couple of steps while still producing a tasty dish. It came out well enough, and since I later had berries left over and another carton of cream, why not make a parfait for myself and my lovely wife? Why not, indeed?

Please excuse the use of drinking glasses. More suitable glassware is under lock and key in the china cabinet, and the key seems to be missing. Sure hope the Queen doesn’t drop by unexpectedly!

One pint blueberries
One pint strawberries
One half-pint raspberries
2 to 4 Tbsp. triple sec
Zest from one lemon
One and a quarter cups sugar, divided into a half-cup and a three-quarters cup
Three-quarters of a pint of whipping cream

In a bowl, mix the strawberries with a half-cup of sugar, then set it in the fridge. In a saucepan, mix the blueberries, remaining sugar, triple sec, and lemon zest. Simmer over medium heat for about five minutes, stirring frequently, until sugar is dissolved and the berry juices are released. Pour the berry mix into a bowl and set it in the freezer to cool down – should take twenty to twenty-five minutes.

Pour the cream into a another bowl and whip with an electric mixer on high until the cream forms firm (not quite stiff) peaks. Fifteen minutes, maybe, though your mileage may vary.

Fill two glasses a quarter to a third full of the blueberry mixture. Spoon a layer of whipped cream over that. Spoon a layer of the strawberries atop that, then top the strawberries with another layer of whipped cream. Top the whole shebang with raspberries, then take a couple of spoons and get down to business.

It’s so good. A little tart, a lot of sweet, and all leavened with dairy goodness. Don’t eat one layer at a time, but instead dig right down to the bottom to get a combination of everything with each spoonful. You’ll feel like you treated yourself, and quite rightly so.