Monday, April 27, 2009

Raspberry Yogurt Parfait



If you're watching calories this dessert is a lovely way to end a meal. It's easy to do and can make an ordinary meal special. It has five ingredients and requires no special equipment to prepare. While it must be chilled for 2 hours before serving, it can be assembled in less than 30 minutes. What's the trick? It is difficult to find fromage frais in most supermarkets. If you live in a large metropolitan area, it can be purchased from a cheese store, but the rest of us will have to scramble to find adequate substitutes. The best would be quark or Greek yogurt. The easiest would be a reduced fat cream cheese that's thinned with a little milk. You can also make your own cheese if you feel inspired. I use a minimal amount of sugar in this recipe, so be sure to taste for sweetness as you go along. Frozen berries are fine but make sure they are thawed before you add them to the cheese mixture. A last reminder - the egg whites in this recipe are not cooked, so be sure to use pasteurized eggs or reconstituted powdered egg whites to avoid any chance of salmonella.

Raspberry Yogurt Parfait


Ingredients:
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 (8-oz.) cup low-fat vanilla yogurt - room temperature
12-oz. fromage frais, quark or Greek yogurt - room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar (optional)
4 large pasteurized egg whites or an equivalent amount of reconstituted powdered egg whites
6-oz. fresh raspberries, mashed or an equivalent amount of frozen, thawed berries
Optional garnish: berries and mint leaves

Directions:
1) Place 1/4 cup water in a small heatproof bowl. Sprinkle with gelatin. Let sit until gelatin softens. Add water to a small skillet and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Place bowl containing gelatin in pan and stir until gelatin dissolves. Remove from pan and cool slightly.
2) Combine yogurt, fromage frais and sugar in a medium bowl. Mix well. Add yogurt and stir with a spoon until combined.
3) Beat egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold into yogurt mixture until just combined.
4) Transfer half the mixture to another large bowl. Fold in mashed berries.
5) Spoon a portion of raspberry mixture into four (8-oz.) dessert glasses. Top each with a portion of the yogurt mixture. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours. Garnish with raspberries and mint if desired. Yield: 4 servings.

23 comments :

Selba said...

Very nice presentation! Love yogurt :)

Katy said...

Raspberry parfait--perfect!

Hootin Anni said...

I love yogurt. And raspberries.

Heather S-G said...

This is so light & lovely! Looks beautiful, Mary!

Ginger said...

I love the concept of this Parfait. It looks and sounds delicious. Fruit and yogurt are two of my favorites.

Martha said...

I love parfaits and this looks amazing -- of course, here on the prairie, we'll have to substitute.

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

This looks so elegant. I would have to do the substituting but think yoru parfait would impress dinner guests fro sure!

Netts Nook said...

What a terrific Parfait and low cal to beat works for me Perfect Mary.

Pam said...

Now this is my kind of dessert. It looks lovely and tasty without all the guilt.

Joy Tilton said...

What a beautiful blog, so glad I found you! Come visit me at http://grannymountain.blogspot.com
joy c.

noble pig said...

Yum. Even if you are not watching calories this sounds perfect!

Mary Bergfeld said...

Joycee, welcome to One Perfect Bite. I hope you come again and become a regular.

theUngourmet said...

This looks very pretty and delicious! My favorite Greek style yogurt is Trader Joes Honey flavor.

NKP said...

Yum! We are having our first really warm day today, and this would be perfect!

La Bella Cooks said...

Perfectly comforting for those warm spring afternoons. I love this recipe!

Mary Bergfeld said...

Kim, it's so nice to see another fellow Oregonian stopping by. Welcome and thanks for coming.

Maria said...

Love this dessert!

Lori said...

A very light and lovely idea. Thanks Mary, I will put it to good use!

Karen said...

What a beautiful dessert. It look refreshing and light. I could eat one right now!

The Cooking Photographer said...

Ooo Greek yogurt is the best! This is a beautiful idea Mary.

chow and chatter said...

that looks good

Mary Bergfeld said...

Rebecca, I'm so glad you stopped by to visit. I hope you'll come again.

Sweta (My Indian Dietitian) said...

It looks great-I'm already drooling:)

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