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This is the taste of Springtime! Our Lemon Raspberry Parfait will be a perfect dessert to serve for Mother’s Day. Or any day for that matter! This tangy, lemony custard is layered with a sweetened raspberry sauce. The refreshing flavors give a double-dose of goodness!
Lemon and raspberries go together like bread and butter. With just a few simple ingredients you can whip up this ultra-creamy lemon raspberry parfait that will impress and delight your dinner guests.
How We Made Our Lemon Raspberry Parfait
We increased the lemon juice of our lemon curd recipe to give it a more ‘pucker-power’ lemony-tang. Also, the addition of a little gelatin gives stability to the lemon curd.
As a time-saver, you could always use your favorite brand of store-bought lemon curd. Just heat it gently and stir in the warm syrupy gelatin and additional lemon juice.
Sweetened cream cheese and a few drops of yellow coloring were blended with the cooled lemon curd. The yellow food coloring is optional.
However, having made this lemon-raspberry parfait previously without the coloring, I found the mixture to be very pale and not a lemony color. If you would like a beautiful lemon-yellow color to the lemon mousse then use a drop or two of the food coloring. It really does make a prettier presentation.
To finish making the lemon curd mousse, we whipped heavy cream to stiff peaks and gently folded it into the lemon curd/cream cheese mixture. This is what gives this custard that mousse-like consistency.
An Easy Raspberry Sauce:
This is not an overly sweet sauce. It is sweetened just enough to bring out the luscious raspberry flavor. We made the sauce with two packages of frozen raspberries and a small amount of sugar. You can also use fresh raspberries if they are available.
Cook the mixture just enough to reduce it to a slightly thickened sauce. It really couldn’t be easier or faster.
Putting Our Lemon Raspberry Parfaits Together:
Spoon a couple tablespoons of the raspberry sauce into six stemmed dessert dishes or wine glasses. Next, add one-third cup scoop of the mousse-like lemon custard on top of each.
Add a few more tablespoons of the raspberry sauce, creating the layers.
If you tip and turn the glass to allow the sauce to flow to the edge of the glass, it will show off the pretty contrasting layers. Add an additional scoop of the custard over the raspberry sauce and garnish with fresh raspberries and mint sprigs. Enjoy!
More Chilled or Frozen Desserts
- Mocha Chocolate Ice Box Cake
- Chocolate Mint Tart
- Eggless Tiramisu
- Cappuccino Semifredo
- 31 Cool Summer Dessert Ideas
Here are some menu ideas:
- strawberry walnut salad
- Roasted Baby Beet Salad with Feta Cheese
- Pot Roasted Herb Chicken
- Braised Beef Short Ribs
- Sheet Pan Chicken Dinner
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Lemon Raspberry Parfait
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Ingredients
For the Lemon Curd:
- 2 1/4 teaspoons 7 grams or 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1 cup sugar, 200 grams, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice
- zest from one lemon
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- Yellow food coloring, optional
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
For the Raspberry Sauce:
- 3 cups frozen raspberries, thawed (2 12-ounce packages)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup fresh raspberries for garnish
- Mint sprigs for garnish
Instructions
For the Lemon Curd Mousse:
- Set a strainer over a bowl and keep it readily available near the stove.
- Put 1/4 cup of water into a small dish and sprinkle with the gelatin.
- Using a double boiler add 2-3 inches of water in the bottom portion and over high heat, bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer.
- In the upper portion of the double boiler, beat the egg yolks, 3/4 cup of the sugar and the salt together until well blended. Stir in the lemon juice and zest. Set the pan over the pan of simmering water and cook , stirring constantly, for about 10 to 12 minutes until thickened and the mixture has a glossy appearance. The slower you cook the curd, the thicker it will be.
- Place the softened gelatin in the microwave for 10 seconds until syrupy, then stir it into the lemon mixture.
- When the curd has thickened, pour it into the strainer and press it with the back of a spoon. Discard the lemon rind and any lumps that are left behind in the strainer. Place in the refrigerator to chill. The lemon curd will thicken more once it has chilled.
- In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese and yellow food coloring together. Add the chilled lemon curd and beat until smooth and creamy.
- Pour the heavy cream and the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar into a mixing bowl and whip to the firm-peak stage.
- Stir 1/4 of the whipped cream into the lemon mixture, then in increments of 1/3 at a time, fold the remaining whipped cream into the lemon mixture. Refrigerate while preparing the raspberry sauce.
For the Raspberry Sauce:
- Combine the defrosted raspberries and sugar in a saucepan, bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for 8-10 minutes. Press down occasionally to break up the berries. Adjust the heat to low and simmer until reduced and slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.
To Assemble the Lemon Raspberry Parfaits:
- Using 6 stemmed dessert dishes or wine glasses, add 2-3 tablespoons of the raspberry sauce to each glass. Next, add a portion (about 1/3 cup) of the lemon mixture, then spoon another 2-3 tablespoons of the raspberry sauce on the top, tilting the glass to allow the sauce to flow to the edge of the glass. Add a final scoop of the lemon mixture. Transfer the parfaits to the refrigerator. Just before serving add fresh raspberries and a sprig of mint to each dessert.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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You said store bought lemon curd could be used in place of making it. How much would you need, oz’s to be equivalent to making it?
I would use between 8 to 12 ounces of store-bought lemon curd then mix that into the cream cheese