Posted on Friday, 25th February 2011 by Grace Massa Langlois
The weekend is here and I thought I would make an extra special dessert, White Chocolate Mousse with Blueberry Compote Parfait, for the kids and their friends.
Did you know the French word “parfait” means “perfect” in English? I couldn’t describe this dessert any better.
Perfect for me today translates into quick, easy to prepare and convenient because they can be made ahead of time. When the kids have a craving for something sweet (which seems to be the case quite often with teenagers) they need only walk to the refrigerator, grab one, and indulge.
I mentioned in yesterday’s post how versatile Crumbles were and that is also the case with Parfaits. The possible layering and flavour combinations are endless especially with fruit. Do you know the Italian definition for “parfait”? A “dessert with fruit”. Also very fitting don’t you think? With today’s dessert, I chose the classic pairing of White Chocolate and Blueberries. I find this flavour combination to be heavenly.
When making the Blueberry Compote I didn’t add much sugar because I wanted to balance the sweetness from the White Chocolate Mousse. Blueberries have a lot of pectin in them and they have an intense flavour. I added a couple of teaspoons of lemon juice to cut through that. I also added a bit of Peach Schnapps to bring out the flavour of the compote.
This recipe for White Chocolate Mousse calls for quite a bit of heavy cream and although it is rich, surprisingly, it is quite light and very creamy. True to its name, it is the perfect pairing because the light mousse balances the thick Blueberry Compote.
If you enjoy Parfaits as much as I do, and are looking for some new ways to prepare them, take a moment and visit some of my favourite Food Bloggers for inspiration. Diane and Todd (White on Rice Couple) have paired yogurt, pomegranates and homemade granola in their Granola Parfait. Nicole (Baking Bites) has taken a combination of yogurt and frozen berries for a breakfast parfait, Bruléed Yogurt Parfait, and she’s finished the parfait with a bruléed topping. The perfect grab and go breakfast option or after school treat. When my son, Matthew, was playing football treats like Nicole’s parfait were great to have on hand.
And of course I must also call your attention to Marla’s (Family Fresh Cooking) Cocoa Coconut Oat Parfait. Marla layers her parfait with yogurt, cocoa coconut oats, roasted cacao nibs and roasted almonds with a sprinkling of cinnamon.
For those of you who haven’t made a Parfait I hope you’ll give them a try. For those of you who have, I am always looking for new ways to layer my Parfaits; I hope you’ll share your favourites in the comments.
White Chocolate Mousse with Blueberry Compote Parfait {Parfait con Mousse al Cioccolato Bianco e Composta di Mirtilli}
Serves 6 to 8
- Blueberry Compote
- White Chocolate Mousse
- White Chocolate Curls
Blueberry Compote {Composta di Mirtilli}
- 490 g (3½ cups) fresh blueberries, divided
- 75 ml (¼ cup + 1 tablespoon) water
- 28 g (2 tablespoons) caster (superfine granules) sugar
- 20 g (1 tablespoon) honey
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water, extra, to dissolve cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons Meyer Lemon juice
- Zest from 1 Meyer Lemon
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) Peach Schnapps
- In a medium-sized saucepan simmer 280 g (2 cups) blueberries, water, caster sugar and honey, stirring to dissolve sugar, over medium heat until tender, about 4 minutes.
- Dissolve cornstarch in water. Strain mixture through a small, fine mesh sieve into blueberry mixture; stir to well combine and continue simmering until slightly thickened, 2 minutes.
- Add the remaining blueberries, lemon juice and zest and cook for an additional 1-minute.
- Remove from heat; stir in Peach Schnapps.
- Spoon warm compote into parfait glasses, set-aside allowing compote to cool completely. Once cooled cover individual parfait glasses with plastic wrap and transfer to refrigerator to chill.
- Leftover compote can be stored, once cooled, in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 4 days. Leftover compote can be used a number of different ways, i.e. serve over pancakes, french toast, cake, panna cotta or ice cream.
White Chocolate Mousse {Mousse al Cioccolato Bianco}
Makes about 5½ cups
- 6 g (3½ sheets) gold gelatine sheets
- 340 g (12 ounces) good quality white chocolate, finely chopped
- 590 ml (2½ cups) heavy cream, 35%, divided
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Soften gelatine in a small bowl filled with very cold water, 15 minutes.
- Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of just simmering water, stirring occasionally, over low heat. Remove from heat and set-aside allowing chocolate to cool slightly.
- Prepare an ice-water bath.
- In a small saucepan bring 180 ml (about ¾-cup) cream just to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat.
- Remove gelatin sheets from water, squeeze out any excess water, add gelatine to cream; stir to dissolve.
- Strain cream mixture through a fine mesh sieve into melted chocolate; stir to well combine. Stir in vanilla.
- Place bowl over ice-water bath. Chill, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thickened and falls in ribbons.
- In bowl of electric stand mixer fitted with whip attachment beat the remainder of the cream to soft peaks at medium speed.
- Fold one-half whipped cream into chocolate mixture; fold in remaining whipped cream.
- Strain mousse through a fine mesh sieve into an airtight container, cover and refrigerate to chill, 1 hour.
How To Make Chocolate Curls {Come Fare i Riccioli di Cioccolato}
For a special treat garnish desserts with chocolate curls. Curls are simple to make and also the perfect way to dress up desserts.
- Bar of chocolate
- Place chocolate on a sheet of non-stick baking paper. Slightly soften bar (barely warm) microwaving on low for 5-second intervals. Take care when microwaving bar because it doesn’t take too long for chocolate to melt.
- To create curls, run vegetable peeler blade lengthwise across one edge of chocolate bar. If the chocolate breaks the bar is too cold, return to microwave to reheat before continuing.
- Using a skewer transfer curls to a dish; refrigerate until firm, about 10 minutes. Curls are much easier to work with when they are cold and firm.
Assembling White Chocolate Mousse with Blueberry Compote Parfait
I opted for a 2-layer parfait but it can easily be adapted to a 4-layer parfait.
- White chocolate curls
- Remove mousse from refrigerator; transfer mousse to large pastry bag fitted with large plain tip.
- Remove parfaits from refrigerator.
- Pipe white chocolate mousse into jars over top blueberry compote layer.
- Cover individual parfaits with plastic wrap; transfer parfaits to refrigerator to chill.
- Serve garnished with white chocolate curls.
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Tags: after school treat, afternoon tea, chocolate, chocolate dessert, chocolate mousse, dessert, desserts, food, food photography, food photos, fruit, individual dessert, individual desserts, mousse, mousse recipes, parfait, pudding, quick desserts, Summer desserts, white chocolate, white chocolate mousse
Posted in Custards, Creams & Mousses, Fillings, Frostings & Dessert Sauces, Recipes
Comments (24)
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February 25th, 2011 at 6:43 pm
This looks amazing. May have to make a parfait pour moi this weekend!
February 25th, 2011 at 7:12 pm
Thanks Wendy – oh so good!
February 25th, 2011 at 10:45 pm
What a beautiful dessert. Love the funky holders!
February 26th, 2011 at 5:16 am
Blueberries are my favorite… love your parfait! I also love to eat them but tend not to make them…but now you have me thinking!
February 26th, 2011 at 8:02 am
I love all the different glasses you used, gorgeous parfaits!
February 26th, 2011 at 10:49 am
Yes, parfaits are great, and you sure do have a great collection of them here!
February 26th, 2011 at 11:01 am
Thank you Dara, my new find from the Restaurant Supply store.
February 26th, 2011 at 12:09 pm
Holy moly, these are so stunning! This is one of those lick the screen moments!
February 26th, 2011 at 12:28 pm
Gorgeous photos, Grace!! I love white chocolate, so these look like the perfect dessert
February 26th, 2011 at 12:37 pm
Thanks for sharing this recipe.My husband love white chocolate.I m gonna whip this up for our anniversary.
February 26th, 2011 at 2:53 pm
Beautiful. Lemon and blueberries….so yummy. I love the ones in the jars.
February 26th, 2011 at 7:51 pm
This is a perfect to dessert to serve for a special occasion. Hope you enjoy!
February 26th, 2011 at 7:52 pm
Did you notice the ones in the tulip cups, I ate almost all of them myself, I am so bad but geez they were good!
February 27th, 2011 at 5:11 pm
I absolutely love your photos! Mousse are perfect for a speacial treats!
February 28th, 2011 at 12:58 am
What absolutely gorgeous photos! Love them. I just made lemon curd in the exact same jars! lol.
February 28th, 2011 at 11:19 am
Where did you pick up your jars Melissa? Lemon curd would be a fantastic layer – yum!
February 28th, 2011 at 3:23 pm
This looks amazing! I think this would be good with a sweet yogurt base. Mmmmm
February 28th, 2011 at 3:42 pm
This looks amazing!
February 28th, 2011 at 8:19 pm
Well it certainly looks perfect.
February 28th, 2011 at 10:30 pm
These look utterly beautiful.
March 1st, 2011 at 5:15 am
That sounds delicious Charissa.
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