Mascarpone Parfait With Citrus Salad Food

CITRUS AND MASCARPONE PARFAIT WITH GRAPEFRUIT AND PROSECCO GRANITA

Steps:

• For the sugar cookie dough: Combine the butter, flour, sugar, egg yolk, lemon zest and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse together, adding a few splashes of ice water to make it come together. Shape the dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cut the rested dough in half and roll out each piece to about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the dough and lightly roll over it to set it in place. Cut out 8 shapes using a round cookie cutter. Place on a sheet tray and bake until light golden, about 8 minutes. Let cool.
• For the sweetened mascarpone: Mix together the mascarpone, sugar and lemon zest and juice in a medium bowl until smooth and silky. Place in a piping bag and refrigerate until ready to use.
• For the ruby red grapefruit and prosecco sorbet: Combine the grapefruit juice, prosecco and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Mix on medium speed while carefully pouring in liquid nitrogen. Pour in enough nitrogen until you achieve a sorbet-like consistency. Place the bowl in the freezer until ready to use. Alternatively, pour the grapefruit mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer¿s instructions.
• Combine the satsuma, orange and grapefruit segments in a large bowl. Pipe some sweetened mascarpone into the bottom of 4 dessert cups. Top with the citrus segments and a scoop of the ruby red grapefruit and prosecco sorbet. Tuck two cookies in each glass and garnish with the mint.

MASCARPONE AND BERRY PARFAITS

Steps:

• Blend 1 cup chopped strawberries, 2/3 cup raspberries and sugar in processor to smooth puree. Drop 1 whole strawberry into each of 4 Champagne flutes or wineglasses. Top with 2 rounded tablespoons mascarpone cheese and 2 tablespoons fruit puree. Repeat layering 2 more times. Top each parfait with some of remaining cheese, then 3 raspberries. Chill at least 1 hour or cover and chill overnight.

FROMAGE BLANC PARFAITS WITH CITRUS FRUITS AND CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• To make the parfaits, place the fromage blanc, mascarpone, almond paste, milk and sugar in a metal bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Heat until the sugar and almond paste are dissolved, whisking occasionally.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1 tablespoon of water. Pass the cheese mixture through a strainer into another bowl. Add the gelatin and place back over the water, whisking just until gelatin dissolves. Let cool. Stir in the amaretto.
• Refrigerate the mixture until it is chilled and beginning to set; do not let it get firm. Whip the cream to soft peaks. Stir in 1/3 of the cheese mixture, then fold in the rest. Spoon into 6 1/2-cup ramekins. Refrigerate for several hours.
• To make the sauce, squeeze the juice from 4 of the blood oranges and all of the navel oranges. Set aside. Working over a bowl to collect any juice, use a paring knife to remove all the peel and pith from the mandarin oranges and the remaining blood oranges. Cut the sections out from between the membranes. Thinly slice the kumquats crosswise, removing any pits. Set aside.
• Combine the sugar, water and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Use a pastry brush dipped in water to wash down any sugar on the side of the pan. Cook until the sugar turns a nice caramel color. Quickly remove from heat and carefully add the orange juices. Return the sauce to the heat and simmer until reduced to a syrupy consistency. Remove from heat and stir in the orange sections and kumquats. Set aside.
• To serve, dip the bottoms of the ramekins briefly in hot water. Run the tip of a small knife around the edge of the parfaits to loosen. Unmold onto 6 dessert plates. Spoon some of the sauce and fruit beside each one and serve immediately.

MASCARPONE PARFAIT WITH CITRUS SALAD

Steps:

• Put the cookies into a food storage bag and crush them with a rolling pin or the back of a pan. Set aside. In a bowl, mix together the mascarpone and 1 tablespoon of the honey. Set this aside also as you make the citrus salad.
• Slice the top and bottom off the orange and grapefruit so that the fruit sits upright. Remove the peel by slicing around the flesh, cutting deep enough to remove the outer membrane along with the peel. Cut the segments away from the membrane and transfer to a bowl. Squeeze a little of the juice from the remains of the orange and grapefruit over the segments. Stir in the lime zest, remaining tablespoon of honey, and mint.
• To assemble the parfaits, divide the crushed meringue cookies among 4 tall, narrow glasses or ice cream dishes. Put 1/4 cup of the mascarpone on top of the cookies in each glass, followed by one fourth of the citrus salad. Garnish with a mint sprig and serve immediately.