I have to admit I’m not the biggest fan of cheesecake, I know, I know, call me crazy. I started making no bake cheesecakes and I liked them so much more because I didn’t have to deal with water baths in the oven and worry about the cheesecake cracking. I thought a new and exciting way to eat cheesecake would be to basically deconstruct it and layer it up in a parfait glass, and I’m telling you, this may be my new favorite way to enjoy it.
This recipe makes about 6 parfaits, but you can multiply or divide it to make as many as you need.
For the Cheesecake Filling:
1 Cup Cold Heavy Cream
24 Oz Room Temperature Cream Cheese (3 blocks)
2/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 Tsp salt
4 Tbs Room Temperature Sour Cream
4 Tsp Vanilla Bean Paste or Vanilla Extract
3 sleeves Graham Crackers Roughly crushed into crumbs
1 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon mixed in with the crumbs
Raspberry Sauce:
1 Pint Fresh Raspberries
2 Tbs Water
Pinch of Salt
¼ Cup Sugar
¼ Cup Raspberry Jam
½ Tsp Lemon Zest
1 Tbs Framboise – optional
Whipped Cream:
Whipped Cream:1 1/2 Cup Cold Heavy Cream
2 Tbs Sugar
2 Tsp Vanilla
Directions:
1. Whip the cold cream until stiff peaks form, cover with plastic and set in the fridge.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the cream cheese and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes until very smooth.
3. Add the sugar, salt and sour cream and beat for another minute. Add the vanilla and mix until combined.
4. Gently fold in the cold whipped cream with a spatula, then cover with plastic and set in the fridge.
5. For the sauce, combine the raspberries, water, salt and sugar in a saucepot and cook over medium-low heat until the raspberries are broken up and the mixture is bubbling. Start mixing with a whisk, then add the jam and lemon zest and cook for another minute.
6. Off the heat, stir in the framboise if using. Transfer the sauce to a blender or food processor and blend for a few seconds until very smooth, then transfer to a bowl.
7. For the whipped cream, combine the cream, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form.
8. To assemble the parfaits, add some crushed graham crackers in the bottom of the parfait glasses, then add some of the cheesecake mixture on top of that using a spoon, pipe some whipped cream on top of that, then spoon over some raspberry sauce. Repeat these layers until the glasses are full, then cover with plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.
9. Once chilled, you can top with more whipped cream, a raspberry and some graham cracker crumbs.
-Store tightly covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze tightly wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 2 months.
