Strawberry & Avocado Mascarpone Parfait with Sweet Basil Pesto

***As seen demonstrated on FOX5 San Diego, Monday, April 19, 2010***

If you find that you’re in a rut when it comes to your relationship, I bet that you’ll also find that you’re eating the same foods together. A great way to help get yourself out of your romantic rut is to change up what you’re eating a bit: try some interesting new food/flavor combinations.

This recipe takes two ingredients that you’d typically consider for use in more savory dishes (avocado & basil), and puts them to use in a sweet dish. Experimenting with new flavor combinations can be a baby step to getting out of your rut.

**SERVES 4**

For Avocado Mascarpone Cream:

• 1/2 Avocado, mashed
• 4 oz Creme Friache
• 4 oz Mascarpone Cheese
• 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
• 1/3 Cup Agave Syrup
• Zest of 1/2 Lemon
• Zest of 1/2 Orange
• Zest of 1/2 Lime

For Strawberries:

• 2 pints Strawberries, hulled and diced
• 2 Tablespoons Agave Syrup
• Juice of 1/2 Lemon
• 2 Tablespoons fruity or nutty liqueur (e.g. Grand Marnier, Chambord, Frangelico, Amaretto)

For Sweet Basil Pesto:

• Leaves only from 2 bunches of Basil (approx 2 Cups of leaves)
• 1/2 Cup Almond Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Agave Syrup
• 2 Tablespoons Almonds, toasted

::DIRECTIONS::

For Avocado Mascarpone Cream:

1. Mix mascarpone and crème friache together in a medium bowl. Reserve.
2. Whip the remaining ingredients except avocado together in a large bowl until the cream forms stiff peaks.
3. Fold mashed avocado into whipped cream.
4. Fold avocado whipped cream into mascarpone mixture.
5. Reserve

For Strawberries:

1. Combine all ingredients.
2. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, but no longer than 2 hours at room temperature.
3. Reserve

For Sweet Basil Pesto:

1. Blend toasted almonds until they are a fine powder.
2. Add remaining ingredients and blend until a smooth paste forms.
3. Pour into a small container and reserve.

To Assemble the Parfait:

1. Using a spoon, drop approximately 2 to 3 Tablespoons of the cream into the bottom of a martini glass.
2. Spoon 2 to 3 Tablespoons of berries on top of the cream.
3. Drizzle 1 Tablespoon of pesto on top of the berries, making sure to get some on the side of the glass so you will see it as a “layer” in the end.
4. Repeat steps 1 & 2.
5. Place a dollup of pesto in the center of the berries

::NOTES::

• Serve the strawberries & pesto at room temperature, with the cream cold
• You may substitute sour cream for the creme friache.
• It is very important that you mix the citrus zest into the whipped cream and add that mixture to the mascarpone. If you add the zest directly to the mascarpone, it will turn grainy…more like the consistency of ricotta cheese.
• When making the cream, the amount of agave syrup you will use is *highly* dependent upon the other ingredients. If your creme friache is more sour than the one I used developing this recipe, or if you substitute sour cream for the creme friache, you may need slightly more. Also, if your citrus zest is very potent, you might need a little more agave. (You’ll need slightly less if your zest is less potent.) Once you have mixed all your ingredients for the cream together, give it a taste. It should be slightly sweet, but not overly sweet. Adjust the sweetness to your liking.
• I only make strawberry dishes when I can get amazingly sweet strawberries fresh from a farm, so I don’t need to add a lot of sweetener. In fact, the reason I add the lemon juice is because I want the sugars from the agave to macerate the strawberries a bit, but I want to counter that sweetness so the resulting level of sweetness is about the same as the natural strawberries. If you’re using less sweet strawberries, you may need to add more agave, and you may omit the lemon juice as necessary to help sweeten the berries.
• Remember that when you make this, you are not making *my* rendition of this dish – you are making your rendition of my dish. You should make this dish as sweet as your taste buds like. If you want to add more agave, then do that. If you’d like to add sugar instead of agave, then do that. If you’d like to use honey, be my guest. Please, take my recipe and make it your own. Make it the way that you and your date will enjoy it.

© 2009 The RelationChef. All Rights Reserved.