There’s more than one way to enjoy the perfect, adorable fruit that is a clementine. Enjoy this creamy dessert at your next special meal!
clementine curd cheesecake parfait
I just returned home from a lovely five day family reunion at Disney World in Florida. I am completely exhausted but it was so much fun! On the first day we took a side trip to Universal Studios so I could visit Harry Potter World and it was pretty much the best thing ever. I’m still daydreaming about the butterbeer (think root beer floats with a rich buttery aftertaste). Forgive me if this post is short and sweet but I really want to share this recipe with you. I have a feeling that the next few days will be quite busy as I catch up on work and get back to real life!
Back in August I made a blueberry passion fruit cheesecake parfait for Marcus Sammuelsson’s website and I’ve been daydreaming about it ever since. Recently I had a large bag of clementines on hand so I decided to make the recipe again with a few modifications- clementines instead of passion fruit and no blueberries. I garnished the dessert with candied clementine peel which is optional. This is a no-bake dessert that can be easily made in advance so it’s perfect for entertaining or a special occasion.
Clementine Curd Cheesecake Parfait
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup fresh squeezed clementine juice (approximately 10 clementines)
- optional: 1-2 drops orange food coloring
- juice of half a lemon
- 4 ounces unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon clementine zest
- 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup sugar
- splash pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, whisk egg, egg yolks and sugar together until smooth. Whisk the corn starch together with a bit of clementine juice to create a slurry. Whisk the rest of the juice and the slurry into the egg mixture. Add the lemon juice and food coloring if using. Continue to whisk over medium heat until thick, 10-15 minutes. Aim for the consistency of pudding. Make sure the whisk hits the bottom of the pot to keep the bottom from burning- this is less likely to happen if you use a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Over low-heat, slowly whisk in the pieces of room temperature butter.
- Move the curd to a bowl, press plastic wrap against the top (to prevent a skin from forming) and allow it to chill in the refrigerator for at least 15-20 minutes. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
- In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and clementine zest. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the heavy cream and cream cheese until they're incorporated. Add the sugar and vanilla and then turn the speed up to high and allow the mixture to reach a stiff peak.
- In a decorative glass of your choice, layer the three components: start with the graham cracker crumbs, followed by the cheesecake filling, followed by the curd. Take care with each layer to make sure it looks relatively level and even, though it doesn't need to be perfect.
- Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
For immediate help troubleshooting a recipe, please email me using the form on my contact page. I’ll try to respond to urgent questions as quickly as possible! For all general questions, please leave a comment here :)
That colour is just stunning, Jen! The parfaits are so lovely and your photos are wonderful.
Just beautiful!! And I bet it tastes just as amazing :)
Beautiful and delicious!! Perfect ;)
This looks wonderful! I’ve never had clementine curd but I know I will like it!
YUM!! You see lemon curd everywhere, but never clementine curd. This is a must!
Wow, Jen! This is super lovely!
How gorgeous are those photos? I want to print them out and hang them on my wall.
I need to go get a spoon!!! Any of this deliciousness still hanging around???
YUM!! This looks soooo good.
What a gorgeous dessert! I always buy those big cases of clementines and then it’s a struggle to eat the last dozen because we’re so burned out on them. Next time I’m going to have to make some curd!
Stunning parfait! Perfect for spring :)
Clementine curd? YUM! This looks so delicious! I definitely need to try it!