Fruit & Cheesecake Parfaits

I've been in transition the last few weeks.  I finished up my school year, spent a few days in Madrid, headed home for summer, and then spent several days dealing with the repercussions of travel and jet lag.

Madrid was lovely.  The weather was perfect.  The streets were beautiful and full of interesting people.  And, the food wasn't too shabby. (Minus one nasty empanada. Bleh.)

I particularly enjoyed the churros and chocolate. Oh, hello.  Freshly fried churros + chocolate to dip them in?!  Genius.  Those Spaniards really nailed it on the head with that one.

And now on to these delicious fruit and cheesecake parfaits . . . The perfect treat for summer.

This post is LONG overdue.  Like, I made these in March for book club, overdue.  But, regardless of how late I am, this recipe is worth sharing.  These parfaits are simple (always a favorite recipe attribute of mine), beautiful, and semi-healthy since they are mostly fruit.  Use fruit that is in season and won't cost you a fortune.

And, speaking of book club, have you read eleanor and park?  Good read.

FRUIT & CHEESECAKE PARFAITS

• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar (divided)
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons milk
• fresh fruit: blueberries, kiwi, mango, and strawberries

Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or a hand mixer, beat the cream until it begins to thicken.  

Add in 1/4 cup of powdered sugar.   

Continue to beat mixture until stiff peaks begin to form.


NOTE:  Stiff peaks = the cream holds its shape and stands up straight when beaters are removed.  Be sure you've got stiff peaks, otherwise your cheesecake mixture will be too soupy.   

Set aside in refrigerator.  

Beat cream cheese until it is smooth. 

Add in remaining powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk.  

Gently fold in the whipped cream until just combined.  

Place fruit in the bottom of the glass, followed by a layer of the cheesecake mixture.  

NOTE:  I put the cream cheese mixture in a pastry bag and piped it into the glasses.  It was easier and didn't muck up the glasses.  

Continue layering.  Finish with fruit on top.  

Here's a 4th of July version I made recently.  Fun and festive.

Source:  Glorious Layered Desserts by Glory Albin 

Pastry Cream

As a kid, my Nana always made English trifle for Christmas dessert.  Colorful, layered, fruity.  There were always two trifles; the sprinkled one signified the kid-friendly, alcohol-free version. Man, I loved those sprinkles.

My British friend Robert recently celebrated a birthday and requested trifle, which worked out well since I'd been wanting to try it out.  The version I put together wasn't totally traditional since it included chocolate cake and pudding, but it did include pastry cream (custard), which is a prerequisite for true English trifle, which is where this recipe comes in to play.

This particular trifle included chocolate and vanilla pound cake, whipped cream, strawberries, and, of course, pastry cream!  It was quite tasty and especially delicious as breakfast the next day.  And, per the usual, I used my little Ikea glasses since I don't own a trifle dish.  They turned out pretty darn delicious!

PASTRY CREAM

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 6 egg yolks
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Bring the milk and vanilla bean to a boil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat and set aside to infuse for 10-15 minutes.


Whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.


Add the cornstarch and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain.


Whisk 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture into the yolks until incorporated.


Whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture.


Pour the mixture through a strainer back into the saucepan.


Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and slowly boiling.


NOTE:  This seemed to happen quickly, so pay attention and remove it from the heat as soon as the thickening starts!  


Remove from the heat and stir in the butter.


Let cool slightly and cover with plastic wrap, lightly pressing the plastic agains the surface to prevent a skin from forming.


Chill at least two hours or overnight.


Source: modified slightly from Food Network

Homemade Flour Tortillas

I've tried quite a few different versions of homemade tortillas and these, so far, are the winner!  The dough comes together nicely and is easy to work with.  They are soft and delicious and so much tastier than store-bought.

I used my Kitchenaid stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, but you could also use a food processor or mix them by hand.

HOMEMADE FLOUR TORTILLAS

• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup warm water

Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook attached until well combined.  

Add oil and water with the mixer running at a medium speed.  

Mix for one minute, stopping occasionally to scrape the sides of the bowl.  

When the mixture comes together and begins to form a ball, decrease speed to low and continue to mix for one minute more, or until dough is smooth.  

Transfer to a well-floured work surface or an unfloured Silpat.  

Divide the dough into 16 equal portions.  

Flatten each piece of dough a bit and cover with a clean kitchen towel.  Allow dough to rest for 15 minutes.

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat.  

Roll each piece of dough into a large, thin circle.  I try to roll them as thin as possible because they puff up quite a bit when cooked.  

When the pan is very hot, cook each tortilla for about 1 minute or until bottom surface is lightly browned in places and bubbles are forming.  

NOTE: Getting the pan the right temperature can be tricky.  If it is taking longer than a minute to see light brown spots, increase the heat.    

 

Flip to the other side and cook for 30 seconds more.  

Tortillas can be frozen for later use.  

Source:  The Cafe Sucre Farine 

My Three Favorite Pizzas

Brace yourself for three super delicious, non-traditional, non-red-sauce pizzas.  These are definitely my faves.    

PIZZA #1: ROASTED GARLIC & CHEESE 
Who knew so few ingredients could be SO tasty? Sometimes less is more.
  

• pizza dough 
• olive oil
• Kosher salt
• roasted garlic, a how-to here 
• fresh mozzarella
• shredded mozzarella

Heat pizza stone in a 500 degree oven.


Roll out pizza dough on parchment paper.


Brush dough with olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt.


Mash the cloves of roasted garlic on a plate and spread evenly over the crust.


Top with chunks of fresh mozzarella and then some shredded mozzarella.


Bake for 8-10 minutes or until bubbly and brown.



PIZZA #2: CHICKEN, ROASTED GARLIC, & SPINACH PIZZA
Roasted garlic plus some extras.  It was an experiment gone great.  

• pizza dough
• olive oil
• Kosher salt
• roasted garlic, a how-to here 
• red onion, thinly sliced
• baby spinach
• shredded chicken
• fresh mozzarella
• shredded mozzarella

Heat pizza stone in a 500 degree oven.

Roll out pizza dough on parchment paper.


Brush dough with olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt.


Mash cloves of roasted garlic on a plate and spread evenly over the dough.


Top dough with red onions, spinach, and shredded chicken.


Top with chunks of fresh mozzarella and then some shredded mozzarella.


Bake for 8-10 minutes or until bubbly and brown.

PIZZA #3: HAM, CARAMELIZED ONION, & GRUYERE PIZZA
Trader Joe's has a flat bread similar to this that I was trying to recreate.  Mission accomplished!  So. So. Good. 

• pizza dough
• olive oil
• butter
• Kosher salt
• onion, thinly sliced 
• ham, sliced or small chunks
• gruyere or emmental cheese, shredded

Heat pizza stone in a 500 degree oven.

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil on low heat in a medium-sized pan. 

  

Add onions, sprinkle with a small amount of Kosher salt, and cook on low heat for at least 20 minutes (or longer) until the onions are dark and caramelized. 

Roll out pizza dough on parchment paper.

Brush dough with olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt. 

Top dough with caramelized onions, sliced ham, and shredded gruyere.  

Bake for 8-10 minutes.  

Roasted Garlic

Roasted garlic has been my favorite pizza topping lately. (Stay tuned for a forthcoming post on my three favorite pizzas.) It adds the most incredible flavor and works well in combination with so many other yummy toppings.  The only downside is that it takes some time, so you have to plan a little in advance.  It'll be worth it though.

Other uses for roasted garlic include, but are not limited to: spread on crusty bread, use in pasta dishes, or add to soups or sauces.

ROASTED GARLIC

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Slice off the pointed top of each head of garlic to expose the cloves.

Place on foil and drizzle generously with olive oil. 

Sprinkle with Kosher salt.  

Wrap foil around garlic and bake for 40-50 minutes.  

Allow to cool. 

To remove, squeeze gently from the bottom of the head.  The cloves should be pretty soft and pop out easily.    

Pizza Crust

I've been on a pizza kick lately.  I've been making the dough from scratch since I no longer have access to Trader Joe's and their pre-made dough.  And actually, it seems silly that I thought I needed pre-made dough since this is such an easy, EASY recipe.  Really.  I've always been a little nervous about using yeast, but you really can't mess this up.    

PIZZA CRUST

• 1 cup hot water
• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt

Stir yeast and sugar into hot water and let stand for 15 minutes or until foamy.


NOTE #1:  Water should be hot, but not so hot that you can't put your finger in it.  If the yeast does not grow, the water was either too hot or not hot enough.  


While yeast is proofing, measure out flour and salt and place in food processor.


With food processor running, pour water and yeast mixture into the bowl and let run until a ball forms.


NOTE #2:  You can also use a stand mixer with a dough hook if you don't have a food processor.


NOTE #3:  If a ball does not form or all flour is not incorporated, add a few extra drops of water.    


Turn dough onto floured surface (I use my Silpat mat) and knead into a smooth ball.


Let dough rest for 10-15 minutes on a floured surface.


Divide dough in half.


Roll half of the dough out onto parchment until thin and then top with desired toppings.


Source:  Megan Porter

Butter Measurements

This little chart has really come in handy since butter here doesn't come in the same pre-labeled-half-cup sticks that it does in the states.  I refer to it a lot because I use butter often and have a horrible time remembering the conversions.

Can I get an amen for butter?!      

Butter Measurements
cups	sticks	tablespoons	ounces	grams
¼ cup	½ stick	4 tablespoons	2 ounces	57 g
½ cup	1 stick	8 tablespoons	4 ounces ( ¼ pound)	113g
¾ cup	1 ½ sticks	12 tablespoons	6 ounces	170g
1 cup	2 sticks	16 tablespoons	8 ounces ( ½ pound)	227g
1 ¼ cups	2 ½ sticks	20 tablespoons	10 ounces	284g
1 ½ cups	3 sticks	24 tablespoons	12 ounces ( ¾ pound)	341g
1 ¾ cups	3 ½ sticks	28 tablespoons	14 ounces	398g
2 cups	4 sticks	32 tablespoons	16 ounces (1 pound)	454g