Sunday, June 2, 2013

Summer Berries #SundaySupper...Featuring Strawberry-Chocolate Frozen Yogurt Parfaits

This week’s #SundaySupper theme is near and dear to my heart: berries! I adore berries…any and all…in both sweet and savory dishes. Nicole from Daily Dish Recipes challenged us to come up with fun Summer recipes featuring berries. Strawberries are my favorite berry…and I found some gorgeous organic strawberries at Trader Joe’s this week. After featuring a strawberry salad for a previous #SundaySupper theme, I decided to go with something sweet and healthy this time. To me, there’s no better Summertime dessert than ice cream…add in some strawberries, and all you need is a spoon to get the party started!

I made these fruity Strawberry-Chocolate Frozen Yogurt Parfaits for our dessert one evening this week. The sauce can be made a day ahead, then stored in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble your parfaits. This amazing sauce contains a combination of cooked and fresh chopped berries and is flavored with vanilla, Meyer lemon juice, and a bit of port. The alcohol in the port cooks off as the sauce simmers, but feel free to sub orange juice for the port if you want to make it totally kid-friendly.


This luscious strawberry sauce took about 15 minutes to whip up after work one night, then I poured it into a plastic container and refrigerated overnight. When we were ready for our dessert the next night, all I had to do was soften the frozen yogurt and layer it with the strawberry sauce and shaved chocolate. Easy peasy, healthy and delish you say? No problem...I’ve got you covered, friends!

 Strawberry-Chocolate Frozen Yogurt Parfaits
adapted from Cooking Light

Step 1: Make the strawberry sauce by adding the following ingredients to a small saucepan over med-high heat: 8 ounces diced strawberries (bite size), ¼ cup Meyer lemon juice, ¼ cup port, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1 tbs. vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract). Stir the ingredients to combine and heat until boiling.


Step 2: Lower heat to medium and boil the strawberry mixture for 8 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Use a spoon to break up the strawberries a bit and release their juices. Remove from heat and add 8 ounces chopped fresh strawberries. Stir to combine and pour into a plastic container. Refrigerate at least an hour before assembling the parfaits. [NOTE: The sauce will last 2-3 days in the fridge.]


Step 3: Assemble the parfaits. In four wine goblets or clear glasses, add ½ cup fat-free vanilla Greek frozen yogurt. Top each parfait with 2 tbs. of the strawberry sauce and 1 tbs. shaved semisweet chocolate. [NOTE: I used a vegetable peeler and shaved a Hershey Special Dark bar.] Top each parfait glass with an additional ½ cup of yogurt, another 2 tbs. of the strawberry sauce, and more shaved chocolate.


If you love chocolate-covered strawberries and ice cream, this is the dessert for you! The creamy frozen yogurt, lemon-port-spiked strawberries, and earthy dark chocolate are a match made in heaven. The fact that this is so low in fat is an added bonus. It feels totally decadent, but it’s only a small splurge. Michael commented that this would be even better using strawberry ice cream, and I have to agree that it would be a pretty perfect pairing. Maybe next time, that’s what I’ll do! This berry sauce can also be made with raspberries or blueberries if you prefer…blueberries would pair really nicely with Meyer lemon juice!

Make sure to join us later today for our weekly #SundaySupper chat at 600 CST. Before that, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to check out all the fun berrylicious recipes my fellow #SundaySupper participants are sharing:

Breakfast & Brunch

Sweet & Savory Berry Recipes

Jams, Jelly, Sauces & More

Desserts

Cocktails, Drinks & Smoothies

Party Planning

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