Berries with White Chocolate Mascarpone

My baby girl turned 5 over the weekend and to celebrate we had a little backyard tea party for her and a small group of friends. Birthday parties usually completely overwhelm me, but this small gathering was just right this time.  All of the food could be prepared ahead of time and it was so fun to watch the girls enjoy themselves.

I had a some leftover mascarpone cheese from when I made a double recipe of Turkey Spinach Taquitos so I used it to make a half batch of these Berries with White Chocolate Mascarpone parfaits.  The white chocolate mascarpone comes together in minutes and it makes for such a pretty and elegant dessert.  The girls loved getting their own individual portions and it was first thing they wanted to eat.  If you don’t feel like assembling parfaits or have extra white chocolate mascarpone leftover, it’s also a great fruit dip.  I’ve served this in a bowl alongside some strawberries and sliced peaches.  With the  abundance of fresh fruit now available, it a perfect simple summer dessert!

Berries and White Chocolate Mascarpone

• Yield: 10-12 mini parfaits

Ingredients

• 6 ounces white chocolate, broken in pieces
• 1 8-ounce container of mascarpone cheese
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• fresh raspberries and blackberries

Instructions

1. Set a small glass mixing bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water and place the chocolate in the mixing bowl. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove the glass bowl from the heat and set aside to cool for 5-10 minutes.
2. While the chocolate is cooling, whisk the mascarpone, whipping cream, and vanilla together until smooth.
3. Add the melted white chocolate and whisk again until smooth.
4. Transfer the white chocolate mascarpone mixture to a piping bag or a plastic ziploc bag with a corner cut off.
5. For individual parfaits, alternate a layer of berries with a layer of white chocolate mascarpone, ending with berries.

Notes

barely adapted from Bon Appetit