J. Friedman Fast

This is a guest post by my bestie, Tamara. She is an amazing cook, and this is one of my husband’s favorite desserts.

I am about to share one of my most favorite desserts to make when I attend a get-together. It’s a little time-consuming but absolutely perfect. Trust me, like seriously, this is some good stuff. I have used it for years and I have change it up a bit, and sometimes use boxed brownie mix. No matter what I do, people love this recipe, and in turn love me. I have a pretty good following when it comes to food. So if you want to be the talk of the party, if you want to have people calling and begging you to show up with this wonderful treat, then make this recipe and wait for your life to change. You’ll have to change your name, get a P.O. box, wear a trench coat in public, and possibly get your own cooking show. (That last part was a bit of a stretch, but it’s possible!)

You can make it exactly the way you see in the recipe, or use a clear bowl so people can see all the caramel goodness. I don’t use nuts because my family thinks they’re evil. I also make sure that if I’m not making my own sauce, I use a high quality salted caramel sauce from a jar. It’s very rich but creamy and yummy.

Ghirardelli Brownie Pecan Parfait

Ingredients

Brownies: 4 ounces unsalted butter 1 cup granulated white sugar 1 large egg 4 ounces Ghirardelli 100% Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate Bar 1/2 cup all-purpose flour Parfait: 4 large egg yolks

1/3 cup granulated white sugar 1/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar 3/4 cup evaporated milk 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted 1 cup good quality store-bought caramel sauce

Directions

1.	To make the brownies, spray an 8-inch square pan with nonstick spray and coat with flour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2.	Melt the chocolate and the butter together over a double boiler. Whisk until smooth.
3.	Whisk the sugar and egg together in a bowl. Stir the chocolate and butter into the sugar mixture. Stir in the flour. Spread in the prepared pan.
4.	Bake for 15 minutes. Cool, remove from the pan and cut into 1/2 inch squares.
5.	To make the parfait, whisk together the egg yolks and the sugars. Whisk in the evaporated milk and then the cornstarch. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, with a heat-resistant rubber spatula, until thick, about 5 minutes. (If the mixture gets lumpy at anytime during the cooking process, briefly switch to a whisk and whisk until smooth.) Place the mixture in a clean bowl and place plastic wrap directly on the surface. Refrigerate until cold.
6.	Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Fold the cream into the cooled mixture.
7.	To assemble the parfaits, in the bottom of martini, wine or any clear glass with approximately a 3/4 cup capacity, put about 4 pieces of brownies, about 2 teaspoons caramel sauce, and 2 teaspoons pecans. Top with about 3 tablespoons parfait mixture. Repeat layering with 2 more layers of brownies, caramel sauce and pecans and 1 more layer of parfait, ending with a layer of the brownies, pecans and caramel.Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.

Take a photo of your finished product and share it with us! Do you have a favorite parfait recipe we should try? Leave a comment or send us an email.