Chocolate cherry ganache parfaits, the perfect date night indulgence. (With the added bonus of barely any cooking required!)
Smooth and velvety layers of cherry and chocolate – two flavours that were just meant to go together. Add in a layer of…
…a layer of smashed up amaretti cookies (see – no cooking!) for texture, then add a layer of mascarpone that you have cleverly given a slight help along with some Amaretto liqueur, then a final sprinkle of amaretti cookies on top for the final flourish.
Ta-daaahhh!
And they just look soooo fancy!!!
Lee-Ann
Chocolate Cherry Ganache Parfaits
Velvety smooth layers of cherries & chocolate ganache, sprinkled with crumbled amaretti biscuits, topped with Amaretto spiked mascarpone then finished off with more crumbs for texture.
Ingredients
- 350 g frozen cherries
- 1/3 cup caster sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. cornflour
- 1 tbsp. cold water
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 200 g dark eating chocolate
- 250 ml pure cream
- 120 g amaretti biscuits divided
- 250 g mascarpone cheese softened
- 2 tbsp. Amaretto liqueur
Instructions
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**I used 4 stemless wine glasses for this recipe & photo - 500ml or 2 cups total capacity**
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Place cherries, sugar & lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves & the cherries have defrosted and softened slightly.
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Combine cornflour & water to form a thin paste, add to cherry mixture and mix to combine.
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Bring cherry mixture to the boil, and simmer for 2 minutes.
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Remove from heat, stir in vanilla & allow to cool slightly.
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Divide cherry mixture evenly between glasses & place in freezer to chill for 15-20 mins.
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Bring the cream to the boil in a small saucepan over medium heat.
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Once boiling - remove from heat & add chocolate - mix until chocolate is melted & no lumps remain.
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Place chocolate mixture in a heatproof bowl, cover & place in freezer for 10-15 mins to cool.
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Mix together mascarpone & Amaretti liqueur, place in a plastic bag (for piping) and refrigerate until needed.
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Crush amaretti biscuits (I do this by hand) see note.
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Remove cherry mixture from freezer, and carefully spoon chocolate ganache evenly over cherry mixture.
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Top with 80g amaretti biscuit crumbs , divided evenly between glasses.
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Snip one corner off the plastic bag containing mascarpone mixture - pipe mascarpone evenly into glasses.
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Sprinkle with remaining amaretti crumbs, and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
The glasses I used for this recipe & photo were 500ml / 2 cup (total capacity) stemless wine glasses. You could of course use any glass/jars you like, but I wouldn't use smaller than 350ml / 11/2 capacity or you will have trouble fitting the layers in and they would be tricky to eat.
As you can see from the photo I don't like to crush the biscuits to total dust! I like to keep them with some texture - not just sand!
When putting the glasses/jars in the freezer try to keep them level - this will give you more even/neater layers.
When spooning the cherry mixture into the glasses - the mixture will naturally settle in the bottom of the glass quite neatly.
You could partially make this dessert ahead - make as per recipe up to the end of step 10 - skip step 11 - then complete steps 12 & 13 then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed. When you want to serve - take the mascarpone out of the fridge for a few minutes (this will make it easier to pipe) then crush the biscuits and start back at step 13.
You don't have to use amaretti cookies/biscuits - I .chose them because I think the almond flavour of the cookies goes well with the cherries. You could use another kind of cookie/biscuit.
*Please note that the amount of calories per serve is provided as a guide only, as ingredients and cooking methods can vary greatly*
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