Amaretto Strawberry, Hazelnut and Mascarpone Cream Parfait
This time of the year is all about love. It is Valentine’s Day!
Do we celebrate Valentine’s Day? With roses and dinners and candlelight? No not really in the mushy kind of way. It is more of a celebration through the years – a feeling that remains steady every moment of every single day between the two hearts that got entwined many years back.
I had come across this quote by Jalal ad-Din Rumi some time back -“The minute I heard my first love story I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was. Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere. They’re in each other all along.” So true; for when I had met A for the first time, it was as if we had known one another from another time. The connection was made right away and we have never looked back.
We have known one another for more than 18 years years now; I was only 18 when we first met. The first Valentine’s day was vibrant and the usual, with hallmark cards, chocolates, and flowers. Think like a teenager! Well, sweet memories.. all of these put a big smile in my heart. Valentine’s Day now is quietly commemorating all that we have between us and what we are for each other, about spending a day to share the fondest moments among the four of us. The laughter and the tight cuddles, seeing the dreams in the eyes of the children, the innocent remarks and their thoughts are all priceless and worth celebrating every single day.
My two girls are excitedly waiting for the Valentine’s Day. You might ask why? They are waiting to surprise us with the cards and crafts they have been making for us for the past few weeks! One entire day was spent with my little one, making cards for her friends in her preschool and wrapping candies. Stickers, hearts, crayons, ribbons and lots of patience and hard work went in making them special.
Today I decided on a dessert with all our favorite ingredients – cream, mascarpone, chocolate, strawberries (drenched in amaretto and orange liqueur for A and me) and hazelnuts.
Here is a special treat dearly loved by all of us. Few layers come together in one spot; for us to scoop out the deliciousness in our own little cups.
Sending the little parfaits to Meeta’s Monthly Mingle: Small Bites -Soul Food for your Loved Ones, hosted by Astrid.
We all love a perfectly indulgent, dreamy, creamy parfait!
Amaretto Strawberry, Hazelnut and Mascarpone Cream Parfait
Ingredients:(makes about 6-8 individual mini dessert cups)
- 12-15 fresh strawberry, washed, hulled and sliced
- 1 tablespoon amaretto + 1 tablespoon amaretto
- 1/2 tablespoon orange liqueur (Cointreau)
- 6 oz mascarpone cheese
- 175 ml heavy whipping cream, chilled
- zest of half an orange
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/3 lightly toasted and chopped hazelnut (may be substituted with any nut)
- 1/3 cup finely chopped chocolate (I used Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate)
- 4-5 confectioners’ sugar + 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
Note: Use orange juice and almond extract, instead of orange liqueur and amaretto, to make it child friendly.
Preparation:Combine the strawberry slices, 1 tablespoon sugar with the amaretto and orange liqueur (or juice and almond extract) and let the berries macerate for about an hour, but no longer than 2 hours.
Beat the cream and 4-5 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar till it forms soft peaks. Gently fold in the zest and the amaretto in to the cream. Whisk the mascarpone for a couple of minutes and then fold in the cream and the mascarpone together.
[It is very important that you mix the orange zest into the whipped cream and add that mixture to the mascarpone cheese. Adding the zest directly to the mascarpone, will turn grainy].
[Adjust the sugar as per your taste; the cream and the cheese mix should be just sweet].
Combine chopped/flaked nuts, chopped chocolate and confectioners’ sugar in a bowl.
In small parfait cups/dessert cups/wine or martini glasses, spoon in some cream& mascarpone cheese mixture. Sprinkle the choco-nut mix. Next goes the macerated liqueur soaked strawberry slices. Add another layer of cream and cheese, followed by choco-nut mix then and strawberries. Create as many layers as your dessert cup will allow you.
Top with cream, a slice of strawberry and a sprinkle of choco-nut. Serve chilled.
In little individual cups.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
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Saffron Yogurt Mousse with Rose Petal Honey
Layered Pomegranate Cranberry and Chocolate Mousse
Looks so attractive and yum ….very tempting
Amaretto and Cointreau with strawberries sounds so good! Beautiful layers in the parfait too. It’s so cute how much fun kids have on Valentine’s Day. Their little gifts and cards are the best.
A delightful dessert! Very beautiful…
Cheers,
Rosa
Amaretto strawberry, hazelnut and mascarpone SCREAM love! If love could be defined in flavor that’s what the definition of my love wud taste like, ok chocolate comes a li’l above it but still! 🙂
Happy Valentines day my friend and thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Prerna, Thanks. Of course chocolate comes first 🙂 I used the 60% cocoa Ghirardelli Intense Dark Evening Dream. No fun with with strawberry and cream without chocolate.
managed to get out of the bed after the motrin. can’t imagine how these little virus can get one down so bad. and TGI weekend. A is home.
E shob jinish jibone banate parbo na Soma … tomar handiwork dekhe e mon bhorbo. 🙂
What a lovely dessert and presentation. This is one of the best homemade parfaits I have ever seen. Love your pictures…need to try it soon.
this is sooo pretty! I always love that blush color of strawberry desserts! i also love rumi and that verse is a favorite of mine. 🙂
Perfect presentation! Love the harmony of colors here. Bet it is addictive!
This is one of the prettiest Valentine’s desserts I’ve seen. The combination of hazelnuts and strawberries sounds wonderful.
I hate you for posting such a delicious recipes!! Look very valentine-y!! SO lovely pics. Great work!
chocolate, hazelnuts, strawberry and cream….what’s tere not to like….and im sure the orange zest really brings out all the flavours. i love individual desserts too!
The parfait looks so perfect for V day…may you spend many many wonderful moments with your love….
your recipes and photography rock!!
WOW! This surely looks perfectly indulgent, dreamy, creamy parfait! I feel like grabbing a glass off my monitor screen. Delicious!
What a sweet love story, still so much passion after 18 years together is certainly something to be celebrated! Wishing you a wonderful Valentine’s Day with your sweetheart 🙂
Beautiful Parfait which scream Love! You used all of my favorite ingredients! Happy Valentines Day! 🙂
Your parfait looks delicious and quite irresistible. Happy Valentine’s.
Happy Valentines Day Soma!
It looks lovely!
What do you use to get soft-peaks? Will a hand-held beater do or do I need something more robust like a Kitchenaid.
Thank you! I have used a hand held electric beater.
Wonderful little verrine! I keep wanting to do this and forget! Thanks for reminding me!
Looks lovely and when you mentioned orange liquer you had me there! Parfait is such a versatile preparation as you can pop in all the goodness that you have around you and still have a winner!
Happy Valentines Day to you and your loved ones.
Shobha
Waiting to see the crafts your daughters made for you, Soma. The dessert is a prefect treat for the Valentine.
Beautiful post and how lovely that V-day is about the family. I bet this dessert puts a smile on everyone’s face on any given day.
A most beautiful dessert with the perfect combination of flavours!
Gorgeous dessert!
Looks perfectly decadent. Yum.
Ohh Emm Gee! This looks even better than what the preview sounded like 🙂 Happy valentines!
Oh that looks and sounds amazing! I’m hungry now for some dessert now 🙂
Very luxurious dessert, probably more romantic for V-Day 🙂
Lovely post and breathtaking clicks
Mmmmmmmm strawberry, mascarpone, chocolate no need to speak abt the divine taste its heavenly….regd the clicks its just a treat to any eyes and no words to say abt it. Excellent !!! But seriously I am craving for this now..way too tempted.
That is such a perfect dessert for Valentine’s day! And wow, 18 years is really quite a long time and you’re right to look back on all those shared years..
that’s lovely story to read and god bless! spectacular dessert it is 😀
So lovely and tempting :). And so sweet to hear about you and your loved ones. I love mascarpone too and only wish it were cheaper here!
These are absolutely exquisite and they include favourite ingredients of mine too. Love the little parcel wrapped in newspaper with a heart on the top.
This seems like my kind of desert! Love hazelnuts , mascarpone strawberries, have to make thi! Thank you!!