This cheery parfait starts with a pineapple base and incorporates other tropical fruits as available into a bowl of sunshine. A creamy coconut sauce tops the fruit and melds the flavors.
Credits: From A Real American Breakfast. Copyright 2002 by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison. All rights reserved. HarperCollins Publishers. Used by permission.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 large banana, cut into chunks
- One 8-ounce can cream of coconut (not coconut milk)
- Juice of 1/2 orange, 1 tangerine, or 1 small passion fruit
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 small fresh pineapple, cut into small neat chunks (3 to 4 cups with juice)
- 1 small papaya or mango, diced
- 1 small banana, ripe but still firm, diced
- 1 to 2 kiwis fruit, peeled and diced, or 1 tablespoon freshly grated lime zest
- Minced fresh mint to taste
- 1 star fruit, sliced crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick stars
- optional Fresh mint sprigs or lime wedges
Preparation:
Prepare the sauce. Combine the banana, cream of coconut, orange juice, and 1 tablespoon of the lime juice in a blender until smooth. Add the rest of the lime juice if the mixture seems overly sweet. (The sauce can be made a day ahead, covered, and refrigerated.) Spoon a small layer of pineapple into the bottom of parfait glasses, wineglasses, or glass bowls. Top with 1 or 2 tablespoons of the sauce. Mix the papaya, banana, kiwi fruit, and minced mint together, then use about half of the mixture to make another layer in the glasses. Top each again with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the sauce then divide the remaining pineapple among the glasses. Spoon additional sauce over the pineapple. If using starfruit, top each parfait with a star or two, standing the fruit up on edge. Garnish with mint or lime and serve. (Extra sauce keeps for several days, ready to dress your next fruit parfait or salad.) SERVES 4 to 6.
