Happy Fourth! Nothing like an afternoon eating, drinking and grilling to celebrate American independence. Any good meal needs a good closer, and there are plenty of scrumptious red, white and blue desserts out there, including this summer shortcake from Martha Stewart and this fruit tart flag from Food Network.
But those desserts take a while in the kitchen, which means time away from the summer sun. Instead, why not take advantage of the berry bounty this time of year, and make a simple, colorful dessert in no time at all?
Full disclosure: I woke up dreaming of this parfait, which means it could be much better in my head than in real life. But I don’t think so.
Summer Berry Parfait
– 1 quart strawberries, tops cut off and quartered (I believe this is called “hulled,” for people who actually know cooking terminology, unlike me)
– 1 quart blueberries
– 1 pint heavy whipping cream
– zest of 1/2 of a lemon
– 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
– 1 tablespoon sugar
1) Sprinkle the sugar over the fruit. Drizzle the balsamic and stir so that all of the fruits are lightly covered.
2) Add the lemon zest, and the juice of half a lemon to the whipping cream. Whisk the whipping cream until soft peaks form.
3) Serve the berries with a dollop of the lemony whipped cream and a spring of mint. Use chilled martini glasses instead of dessert cups to make it a true fruit cocktail!
balsamic vinegar? lemon? really? yuck.