Pomegranate Yogurt Parfait

Every year, I host a Christmas brunch or dinner for a few of my girlfriends.  This Christmas season seems to have gotten away from me and left me feeling a little under the weather.  I decided that quick and easy was the way to go.

One thing that was ridiculously easy but so tasty was my pomegranate yogurt parfait. Personally, I suspect it may have been the dollop of whipped cream that was the true winner and reason why my friends loved it so much, but the most important thing was that they enjoyed it!

Pomegranate Syrup
16 oz PomWonderful Pomegranate Juice
1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar
Juice & Zest of 1 lemon

Combine all ingredients and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.  If you can draw a clear line through the coating of Pom Syrup with your finger, then it is ready.

Whipped Cream:
16 oz of heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Whip cream, sugar, vanilla together.

Vanilla Yogurt [or Plain Greek Yogurt]Granola
Pomegranate Arils

Mix Pomegranate Syrup with the Yogurt until well blended. Add dollop of whipped cream, top with Granola & Pomegranate Arils.

Share Our Holiday Table: Pom Pie Delight

More than 17 million children struggle with receiving regular nutritious meals every day.  This doesn't happen in some far off land.  It happens right here in the USA.  During the season of lavish parties, gifts, and merriment, many are struggling with receiving the most basic of needs.  

How you can help: go to the Share Our Holiday Table's donation page and PLEASE make a donation. 

How I'm helping: When my friend, Gaby, asked if I'd like to participate in a progressive blogger dinner to raise awareness of childhood hunger in the US, I jumped at the chance. I love this community I'm involved in and am always thrilled when I have the opportunity to join others in such a wonderful event.

My contribution is dessert, my favorite part of any meal.  I'm not a big fan of overly sweet desserts so it took me a while to Frankenstein this dessert from various other recipes I had in my file and tweak it a bit.  The shortbread crust is just buttery enough to pull it together beautifully; the tangy cream cheese is lightened up with whipped cream; and it's topped with a wonderfully tangy sweet Pomegranate Mousse that just tastes like silk in your mouth.

Crust:
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup cold butter, cubed [2 sticks]
3/4 cup pistachio nuts [optional]

Place flour & sugar into a food processor and pulse twice. Add chilled butter and pulse several times until the texture is grainy.  If you don't have a food processor, use a pastry blender or 2 forks to get to the grainy texture. Add nuts at this point. Press all the ingredients into a 9x13 pan or less than 1/2 the ingredients into a 8" tart pan. Bake at 350 for 15 - 20 minutes.  Let cool.


Cream Cheese Filling:
1 8oz package of Cream Cheese, room temperature
16 oz of heavy whipping cream, whipped with 3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 - 1/2 cup of sugar, suit to taste
1 tsp vanilla

Blend Cream Cheese with sugar until well combined.  Add vanilla, fold in whipped cream.  Pour on cooled crust and refrigerate until set.

Pomegranate Mousse topping:
8 oz PomWonderful 100% pomegranate juice
1/3 cup sugar
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Zest from 1 lemon
1/2 package of gelatin
8 oz heavy whipping cream, whipped with 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine PomWonderful Pom Juice, sugar, juice, and zest in a medium sized saucepan. Reduce until half or until it reaches a syrup consistency [should coat the back of a spoon].  Let Cool. Once the Pom syrup has cooled, fold into whipped cream.  Pour over cream cheese filling and refrigerate until set.

Decorate with Pistachio nuts & pomegranate arils, if available.

For more recipe ideas, please visit the talented and lovely blogs of my foodie friends.


December 14: Dessert
Gourmet

• Little Bo Bakes (read the post)
• Hunter Angler Gardener Cook (read the post)
• TableFare (read the post)
• Cooking On the Side (read the post)

Family Friendly

• Devour The World (read the post)
• Hoosier Homemade (read the post)
• For the Joy of Food (read the post)
• Daydreamer Desserts (read the post)
• The Food Junkie (read the post)

Vegetarian

• Deliciously Organic (read the post)
• Jeanette's Healthy Living (read the post)

Gluten Free

• Tartelette (read the post)
• Cook It Allergy Free (read the post)
• Gluten Free Girl
• The Blog (read the post)

December 13: Sides
Gourmet

• The Urban Baker (read the post)
• Heather Christo (read the post)
• We Like to Cook, and Eat (read the post)
• Plum Pie (read the post)

Family Friendly

• What’s Cooking (read the post)
• Dine and Dish (read the post)
• The Evolving Cook (read the post)
• Katrina Runs for Food

Vegetarian

• My Kitchen Addiction (read the post)
• Taste as You Go
• Flamingo Musings (read the post)

Gluten Free

• The Whole Gang (read the post)
• Jenn Cuisine-- A mostly gluten free cooking blog. (read the post)
• Creative Cooking Gluten Free (read the post)

December 10: Entrees
Gourmet

• What’s Gaby Cooking (read the post)
• Food Blogga (read the post)

Family Friendly

• Life in Recipes (read the post)
• Bluebonnets & Brownies (read the post)
• Foodie Tots (read the post)

Vegetarian

• The Peche (read the post)

Gluten Free

• The Sensitive Pantry (read the post)
• Nourishing Meals (read the post)

December 9: Soup
Gourmet

• edible cville (read the post)
• The Runaway Spoon (read the post)
• A Girl, A Market, A Meal (read the post)

Family Friendly

• Ladles and Jellyspoons (read the post)
• Two Dollar Dinners (read the post)
• All About Alton Brown (read the post)
• Cookie Central's Great American Bake Sale (read the post)

Vegetarian

• Good Life Eats (read the post)
• Feed Our Families (read the post)

Gluten Free

• Celiac Teen (read the post)
• Celiacs in the House (read the post)
• Gluten Free Life with Jen (read the post)
• And Love it Too! (read the post)

December 8: Salads
Gourmet

• The Bitten Word (read the post)
• girlichef (read the post)

Family Friendly

• Food For My Family (read the post)

Vegetarian

• Glugle Gluten-Free (read the post)

Gluten Free

• Add a Pinch (read the post)
• Gluten Free Diva (read the post)

December 7: Drinks
Gourmet

• Food Woolf (read the post)
• The Gringo Chapin (read the post)
• Neo-Homesteading (read the post)
• Three Many Cooks (read the post)

Family Friendly

• Fat Wuz Here (read the post)

Vegetarian

• Lexies Kitchen (read the post)
• Simply Sugar and Gluten Free (read the post)

Gluten Free

• Gluten Free Easily (read the post)

December 6: Appetizers

Gourmet

• The Italian Dish (read the post)
• Recipe Girl (read the post)
• Neo-Homesteading (read the post)

Family Friendly

• Family Fresh Cooking (read the post)
• Giving Up on Perfect (read the post)

Vegetarian

• Two Peas and Their Pod (read the post)
• Smith Bites (read the post)

Gluten Free

• La Fuji Mama (read the post)
• Wenderly (read the post)

Agedashi Dofu

I had the most amazing Agedashi Dofu the other night. My friend's [Fuyumi] mom is an incredible Japanese cook so when Mrs H asked me if I'd like to help out at a dinner she was hosting, I jumped at the chance. One thing to note about Japanese Cuisine is that it is very labor intensive.  Making renkon [lotus root] and carrots look like little flowers may have looked lovely but I was ready to stab myself over the laboriousness of it all.  Not to say that I'm not going to do that for my family's New Year's party. I think the memory of how long it really took will be gone by the time New Year's comes around.

There were so many wonderful items on the menu but my favorite was definitely the Agedashi Dofu. Deep fried tofu steeped in salty sweet richness of the tsuyu [soup], it was impossible to resist. This was always something I would only order at restaurants, but Mrs H assured me that this was the easiest thing in the world to make. She was right. 

Firm tofu tends to be easier to handle but I prefer the consistency of the softer silken tofu, which makes for a creamier inside of the crispy shell.  Press out as much of the water as possible [my mom uses jars filled with water placed on top of plates, placed on top of the tofu]. 

I've seen various types of batter from tempura and flour to katakuriko [potato starch]. Mrs H uses katakuriko to flour the tofu.

After heating up the oil, gently drop the tofu into the oil and allow to deep fry until the exterior is firm and crisp. Turn over and repeat.

Top the tofu with various colorful items such as spinach, katsuobushi, green onions, daikon sprouts, asparagus, tomatoes, grated ginger & daikon. Pour the tsuyu over the tofu and serve immediately.

Best dish ever.

Tsuyu Base:
1 cup dashi [my friend, Rachael, has a WONDERFUL explanation on how to make it!]
2 Tbsp Shoyu [soy sauce]
2 Tbsp Mirin [Sweet Rice Wine]

Combine tsuyu ingredients and keep warm until ready to use.

After draining tofu of water, coat tofu with flour. Deep fry until shell is crisp and firm. Pour Tsuyu base over tofu.