I created these delicious strawberry parfaits with greek yogurt mousse and caramelized almonds for a cooking show I held at the new Smeg store in Milan in July. The theme was “last minute meals.” It was so lovely to be able to spend time cooking and chatting with a group of passionate foodies. A big thank you to all of you who participated.
For those of you who will be in the Milan area in September, I am giving another cooking show at the Smeg store on the 10th. It’s free of charge, but it is recommended to sign up on the Smeg events page. The online world is incredible for meeting new friends :: amici, yet, I would love to also meet you in person!
Not only is this dessert :: dolce great for unexpected guests or last minute meals, I also like to group it into the category of “quick desserts I can make when it’s too hot to cook.” Here in Italy, we’ve had a terrible heat wave. It’s been unbearable. Hot, humid, sweat-as-soon-as-you-walk-outside kind of unbearable. Has it been the same for you?
That’s why this 15 minute dessert has been my little life savour for summer dinner parties. They are so simple and quick to make. I can even make the parfaits a few hours ahead of time, just adding the already prepared caramelized almonds right before serving so they stay crunchy :: croccanti.
When I made this recipe in July, strawberries :: fragole were in full swing. Now they are winding down here in Italy. However, you can easily substitute them with any fruit of choice. The vanilla bean greek yogurt mousse really goes well with all fruit, and especially berries. I would recommend making a double batch because it’s also fantastic on a bowl of homemade muesli, granola or strawberry crisp in the morning! Enjoy!
- For the Parfait:
- 20 whole almonds
- 1 tablespoon light cane sugar (or regular sugar)
- 14oz strawberries, washed, hulled and cut in small pieces
- 1 tablespoon honey (I like runny acacia)
- For the Greek yogurt mousse:
- 9 oz Greek yogurt
- 4 oz fresh heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon honey (like runny acacia)
- Seeds from 1 vanilla bean pod (or ½ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract)
- Pulse the almonds in a blender or food processor so that they are roughly chopped. Put them in a small skillet and add the sugar. Toast over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until the sugar has melted and the almonds are golden; stir often. Lay them out on a piece of parchment paper to cool.
- In the meantime, put the Greek yogurt, whipped cream, honey and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Attach the splash guard. With the beater attachment, whip the mixture on the beater setting for 3-4 minutes until firm peaks form. You can also use a hand mixer.
- Mix the strawberries with the honey. In four glasses, alternate two times a layer of strawberries followed by a layer of the mousse. Top with the caramelized almonds.
Tip: I usually make a large batch of the caramelized almonds and store them in a airtight container. They are great on salads like this caramelized almond, apple, dried cranberry and feta salad.
