On my nectarine salad post I promised another stone fruit recipe, but other things came up in the meantime so I hope you’ll forgive me for only just getting to it now. I promise this one’s worth the wait.
This recipe actually caused me some grief, not the actual making of it but deciding what to call it! Parfait? Verrine? Crumble? Trifle? Mousse? Cream?
“What’s in a name?” was pretty much the attitude I took in the end when I came back to “parfait”. Besides, I think all of those names could apply to this yummy dessert. 3 layers- creamy, crumbly and fruity, layered up in a glass.
Cherries and pistachios are such a delicious duo that I knew I wanted to bring them together for a dessert. I’d initially wanted to make ice cream but my freezer is currently a little full (!) and will need some reshuffling to be able to fit the ice cream maker bowl in…(though stay tuned as I’m determined to make homemade ice cream happen this summer) I also didn’t want to have to wait until the following day to enjoy my creation.
I’ve made a lot of raw nut creams recently and although I love them I wanted to go a little lighter with the cream layer here and so turned to my old friend silken tofu. I always keep a couple of the shelf-stable packages on hand for whipping up smooth sauces, dressings and desserts as it’s such a versatile ingredient. Its neutral base allowed the flavour of the pistachios to really shine.
I could have stopped there and just layered up fresh cherries with the cream, maybe added a few chopped nuts, but I was feeling more ambitious than that and decided on a third layer. Definitely a good move. This oat-flax crumble is a very tasty topping and works equally well without the cream too, to make a raw fruit crumble of sorts. I ate the leftovers over a juicy diced peach which was wonderful.
Ingredients
- For the Pistachio Cream:
- 1/4 C Pistachios
- 1Tbsp Agave nectar
- 175g/6oz silken tofu ( I use Clearspring organic )
- 1/4 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1/4Tbsp Lemon zest
- 1 tsp Lemon juice
- pinch salt
- For the Oat-Flax Crumble
- 1/4 C Oat groats
- 1/4 C Flax seeds
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp Agave nectar
- 1/16 tsp Salt
- To Serve:
- 1 C Halved & pitted fresh cherries
- Chopped pistachios
Instructions
- Make the cream first: I toasted my pistachios briefly just so I could remove the skins, but if yours are already skinned then there’s no need.
- Blend all cream ingredients in a high-power blender until smooth, scraping down the sides so everything is incorporated. Refrigerate until ready to assemble parfaits.
- In a food processor/spice-grinder jar, process the oat groats, flax seeds and salt to a flour. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the olive oil and agave. It should form clumps as if you were making granola. Set aside in the fridge to firm up.
- Shortly before serving (you can prep in advance but the cherry juice may tint the pistachio cream a little) assemble the parfaits. Start with a layer of the pistachio cream, then the cherries, then another layer of the cream and finally top with as much of the crumble as you like, chopped pistachios and a cherry for good measure.
I’m submitting this recipe to the weekly blog-hop Healthy Vegan Fridays. If you haven’t checked it out yet, click on over now. I can guarantee you’ll find something to swoon over.
Any fun foodie plans this weekend? I’m off to Wales to stay with a friend- walking, chatting, beach and I’m sure plenty of good food!
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Emma, this looks absolutely scrumptious.Stunning photographs too! My mum actually gave me some silken tofu as she wasn’t sure what to do with it. I promised I’d turn it into a lush dessert for her. I know which one I’m going to go for now 😉 Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful recipe xx
Thanks Sharon
Silken tofu is brilliant for desserts. I love tofu chocolate mousse too.
I vote for parfait also! Because parfaits seem like they can be eaten for breakfast and are kind of healthy…which means you can eat five. Just saying. Yum!
That’s definitely a good way to look at it! I could definitely eat this dessert for breakfast
Oh. Em. GEE! This looks AMAZING! I LOVE cherries, I LOVE pistachios, yet never ONCE did I think of putting them together. (Almonds are usually my nut of choice to pair with those scrumptious little red orbs of deliciousness.
) Can’t wait til it’s cherry season again!