Cherry Cream and Chocolate Wafer Parfaits. Parfait is a French word literally meaning “perfect” commonly employed to describe a kind of frozen dessert, beginning in 1894.
In France, parfait refers to a frozen dessert made from a base of sugar syrup, egg, and cream. A parfait contains enough fat, sugar, alcohol and/or to a lesser extent air to allow it to be made by stirring infrequently while freezing, making it possible to create in a home kitchen without specialist equipment. The fat, sugar, alcohol or air interferes with the formation of water crystals, which would otherwise give the ice cream an uncomfortable texture in the mouth. The formation of ice crystals is managed in the making of regular ice cream by agitating the ice cream constantly while it freezes or chemically by adding glycerol. Neither should be necessary when making a high-quality parfait.
It also refers to a very smooth meat paste (or pâté), usually made from liver (chicken or duck) and flavoured with liqueurs.
In The United States, parfait refers to either the traditional French-style dessert or to a popular variant, the American parfait, made by layering parfait cream, ice cream, and/or flavored gelatins in a tall, clear glass, and topping the creation with whipped cream, fresh or canned fruit, and/or liqueurs.
In the northern United States and Canada, parfaits may also be made by using yogurt layered with granola, nuts or fresh fruits such as peaches, strawberries, or blueberries.
Cherry Cream and Chocolate Wafer Parfaits
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 parfait)
Prep time:21 Minutes
Ingredients
- 1 (3.4-ounce) package cheesecake instant pudding mix
- 1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
- 1/4 cup light cream cheese, softened
- 1 (20-ounce) can light cherry pie filling
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (about 10 wafers)
- 1/4 cup frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed
- 4 maraschino cherries with stems
Preparation
- Combine pudding mix and milk in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at low speed 2 minutes or until thick. Add cream cheese; beat 1 minute or until smooth.
- Combine pie filling and almond extract in a small bowl.
- Spoon 1 tablespoon cookie crumbs into each of 4 (6-ounce) stemmed glasses. Top each with 3 tablespoons pudding mixture and 1/4 cup pie filling. Repeat procedure one time. Dollop 1 tablespoon whipped topping onto each parfait. Top each dessert with a cherry. Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.
