CHERRY & RICOTTA PARFAIT
- The Honest Project
- Jun 15, 2018
- 2 min read
Happy weekend everyone. I haven't blogged a dessert recipe in ages so what better way to start the weekend than with something sweet. It's for a delicious Cherry & Ricotta Parfait for when you can get your hands on some delicious cherries this summer. Eaten fresh, cherries are one of my all time favourites. But if you do manage not to eat them all within an hour of purchase, something I usually fail spectacularly at, then give this dessert a go.
For most of my desserts I lean towards something very easy: usually a fruit or berry, with some sort of cream and then something for a bit of crunch, and I'm sticking to that winning combo for today's sweet treat. For cream, I've made a lemon ricotta cream. It's kinda like the one you often see served with pancakes on brunch menus. But if that doesn't appeal to you or you would prefer something a bit more tangy, just use Greek Yogurt instead.
Just before we hit the recipe, can I also say a big thank you to those of you who came along to The Summer Soiree event in Kilkenny on Wednesday night. I have never cooked in front of 500 people before and spent the day flitting between nerves and excitement. But once the night came, it was just fantastic and I enjoyed every second and hopefully everyone who came did too. A big thank you to the organisers for inviting me to be part of it and fingers crossed lots of money was raised for a great cause.
Now, scroll on for the recipe for this delicious Cherry & Ricotta Parfait xx
Cherry & Ricotta Parfait
(serves 4)
Ingredients
For the cherries
400g cherries, destoned and halved
3 tbsp coconut sugar
Zest of a lemon
4-5 mint leaves
3 tbsp water
For the ricotta cream
200g ricotta
2 tbsp coconut sugar
Juice of a lemon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For the crumble
50g oats
50g cashew nuts
50g dates, pitted
1 tbsp cashew nut butter
Pinch sea salt
Method
Start by making the toasted oat and nut crumble. Place the oats and cashew nuts on a baking tray, spreading them both evenly over the tray. Place in a medium oven for 5-7 minutes. Remove from the oven and place in a food processor. Add the, dates, cashew nut butter and sea salt and blitz again into a crumble. Spoon into the bottom of your serving glasses.
Next move onto the cherries. Place them in a saucepan with the water, coconut sugar, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Heat over a gentle heat for 30 minutes, stirring regularly. Once the syrup has thickened remove from the heat and set to one side to cool.
For the ricotta, spoon the ricotta, coconut sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract into a bowl and beat until smooth.
Once the cherries have cooled a little, spoon on top of the oat crumble in each serving glass and add a dollop of the ricotta cream on top. Finish with fresh mint leaves and serve straight away.
