[Photograph: Ed Anderson]
Parfaits are not my usual choice when it comes to dessert, despite my penchant for sweets made primarily with berries and cream. Something about layering everything in a tall glass strikes me as fussy. But that’s not a good enough reason to miss this parfait from the new Treme cookbook. Two components make this particular parfait stand out. First, it uses creamy-chewy steel cut oats as an anchor point. The hearty oats are laced with brown sugar and butter, but not so much that you couldn’t get away with eating them for breakfast. Second, the remaining layers of berries and whipped cream operate in total contrast to the wholesome oats—they’re full of booze.
Why I picked this recipe: At this point in the summer, any new way to pair berries with whipped cream is a good thing.
What worked: Everything was on point in this simple dessert. Also, bonus points for eating whole grains! You can even eat it for (boozy) breakfast!
What didn’t: No problems at all.
Suggested tweaks: You could use any fruit you’d like in place of the berries. Stone fruits would work especially well. The liqueur pairings are also flexible; pick from what you’ve already got on your bar. Use something sweet on the fruit, and perhaps something drier in the whipped cream (I used creme de cassis in the berries and dark rum in the cream).
As always with our Cook the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of Treme to give away this week.
About the author: Kate Williams is a freelance writer and personal chef living in Berkeley, CA. She is a contributor to The Oxford American and Berkeleyside NOSH, and she blogs at cookingwolves.wordpress.com.