Fresh Bing Cherry Cheesecake Parfait
Ingredients:
- 4 oz Neufchatel cheese,
softened*
- 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
- 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4-6 gingersnaps, crushed
- 1-1/2 cups of pitted Bing
cherries
Directions:
- Combine cheese and sour cream
in bowl. Beat with mixer on high until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla
extract and beat until well blended. Set aside four teaspoons in a small
bowl for topping.
- Fill four small parfait glasses
(or wine glasses) with layers of ingredients. Start with 2 Tblsp on cheese
mixture. Next, add cookie crumbs, then fruit. Finish with 1 tsp of
reserved cheese mixture on top. Garnish with ginger snap crumbs and a Bing
Cherry on top.
- Chill for half hour before
serving.
*French Neufchatel Cheese
This is a soft, slightly crumbly cheese
often sold in heart shapes or logs which can be substituted with American
Neufchatel.
According to legend, a New York dairyman created cream cheese in a
botched attempt to make Neufchatel. If the French or American Neufchatel can't
be located, use low-fat cream cheese instead for a perfectly creamy parfait.
While this parfait recipe sounds rich
and over-the-top, it holds its own at 200 calories per person. Substitutions
for ingredients include non-fat cream cheese instead of low-fat, Oreo cookies
or other chocolate cookies instead of the ginger snaps, and any other fruit in
season instead of cherries.
The really fun part of making this dish is the variety of
fruits and cookies that can be used to make it original each and every time.