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
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Cathy Pollak ~ Noble Pig says
This looks so amazing! I have just been working on some orange curd but I love the idea of clementines!!
Jennifer Farley says
Curd is my favorite. I’m always trying to figure out what other fruits I can make into curd!
Emily says
Oh wow, that looks delicious. I’ve also never made curd, and think maybe this would be a good place to start.
(If I can keep myself from eating all the graham crackers first. No promises.)
Jennifer Farley says
I would be happy to show you. I already promised Pam so we can have curd day. The whole process takes around 15 minutes.
kirsten@FarmFreshFeasts says
Jen,
The trip sounds great, and the clementine parfaits look gorgeous.
I’m always looking for ways to use the citrus that overwhelms me during Band Fruit Fundraiser season, so I’ve saved this for that.
Thanks!
Monet says
I’m so happy to hear you had such a wonderful trip. And what a great recipe to come back with :-) I love the citrus flavor here. Thank you for sharing. A lovely post to go along with my latte and cinnamon raisin bread. I hope you have a beautiful week!
Jennifer Farley says
Have a wonderful week, Monet!
Jennie @themessybakerblog says
This looks mind-blowing delicious. The parfaits are so pretty!
Tracey says
Welcome home, sounds like your trip was fantastic! I’m still itching to get over to Universal and check out Harry Potter. Love the color of the curd in your parfaits, it’s beautiful!
Ali | Gimme Some Oven says
Wow – this looks so beautiful!!! Love that orange color!
So glad that you had a great time on your trip!
Wendy says
That top photo really made me stop and say, “Oh my goodness!” Its beautiful and the idea of clemetine curd is luscious! I am so excited to try making this. Thank you!
Laura Dembowski says
This is such a lovely and fancy dessert that would impress anyone. I didn’t expect the curd to be such a bright color – beautiful! Glad to hear your trip was fun :)
Whitney @ The Newlywed Chefs says
Jen, this is beautiful! The clementine curd sounds so delicious!
Jennifer @ Mother Thyme says
This is gorgeous! I love parfaits. This one would certainly be a crowd pleaser.
Laura says
Yum. Love this, the graham crackers especially.
Hey meant to tel you: I bought songs by grizzly bear, travis, boy (was that one a rec from you? can’t remember now! I visit itunes too often lol) and I bought 2 songs by rilo kiley–they made the most impression on me. I love that itunes has changed their policy so the cost of an album reduces as you buy more songs from it. In other words, if I like them enough I will go back for more. :) I am a serious music freak but I have never come up with a good way to incorporate it into my blog (except for sharing photos of seeing U2 live lol). Kudos to you.
Jennifer Farley says
Boy was not a recommendation from me but the others are. I’m so glad you liked the songs! Rilo Kiley is one of my favorite bands. Didn’t love their most recent album as much but their older albums are all addicting.
Stephanie says
I’m so jealous – I want to try butterbeer! Sounds like a fun trip and this is one delicious looking dessert.
Anne @The Cooking Campaign says
This looks INCREDIBLE! Looks like the perfect spring/summer dessert!
Averie @ Averie Cooks says
Jen – stunning. The recipe, the idea, the photography, the color of the food. Every element all works so beautifully!