Strawberry Cream Cheese Parfaits are a decadent refrigerated dessert for two. A cheesecake you eat with a spoon.
It's another recipe to use that jar of strawberry curd you made. Crumble your favorite store bought cookies for a quick dessert.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Parfaits
Text and Photo by Jac Kyles Baker
Makes 2 parfaits
Ingredients
For the strawberry cream cheese:
3 TB sour cream, room temperature
3 TB strawberry curd (recipe below)
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 TB powdered sugar
2 TB granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For the cookie crumbs:
3 TB unsalted butter,softened
3 TB granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Preparation
Make cookie crumbs:
Beat butter, sugars and salt until smooth. Stir in flour. Make sure all the flour is coated. Form dough into clumps with fingers.
Place crumb topping in freezer to set (10 to 15 minutes, this prevents butter from melting).
Remove cookie crumbs from freezer. Spread about half the cookie crumbs on parchment paper or a microwave safe plate. Microwave on MED HIGH (70% power) for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Carefully remove cookie crumbs from microwave. Cool on a wire rack. (Cookie crumbs will be soft but set; they become firmer as they cool.)
Repeat with the remaining cookie crumbs.
Recipe will make more cookie crumbs than are needed for the recipe. Store the remaining cookie crumbs in an airtight container.
Make strawberry cream cheese:
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with a spoon until light and creamy.
In a separate bowl, stir sour cream and strawberry curd together. Stir in granulated sugar. Add powdered sugar 1 TB at a time; stirring after each addition. Whisk in vanilla until smooth. Add to cream cheese bowl.
Beat the cream cheese and strawberry sour cream mix until a smooth batter forms.
Assemble parfaits:
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with a spoon until light and creamy.
In a separate bowl, stir sour cream and strawberry curd together. Stir in granulated sugar. Add powdered sugar 1 TB at a time; stirring after each addition. Whisk in vanilla until smooth. Add to cream cheese bowl.
Beat the cream cheese and strawberry sour cream mix until smooth.
Egg Free Strawberry Curd
Makes about 1/2 cup
1/2 cup strawberry juice, from fresh or frozen strawberries
Place cornstarch in a small bowl. Add 2 TB of strawberry juice to cornstarch. Stir to make a smooth slurry.
Stir remaining strawberry juice and sugars together in a large glass or ceramic microwave safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute.
Carefully remove bowl from the microwave. Stir cornstarch slurry into bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 3 minutes.
Carefully remove bowl from the microwave. Add cubed butter into the cranberry mixture, about 1 TB at a time, briskly whisking after each addition of butter. Stir in sweetened condensed milk.
Pour curd into a clean, dry glass jar to cool. Seal with lid and store in the refrigerator.
Cook's Notes
** Microwave power varies. Adjust power and times accordingly.