Peanut Butter and Jelly Parfait

Home-packed school lunches were seldom complete without a spongy, white bread peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The gooey snack associates with post swim-practice munchies and the comforting security of grandma's house. I eventually graduated to whole-grain PB&J's as a staple meal in high school, and now I enjoy the grilled ones often offered in Purdue University's dining courts.  

Allyson Kramer, cookbook author and food photographer, twists the elementary lunch into a sophisticated, silken tofu-based parfait. All of her recipes are vegan and, due to a gluten intolerance, gluten free. Her reasoning behind eating vegan aligns with those of the punk's in that she abstains from animal products in order to live a less violent and more eco-friendly lifestyle. 

p b & j parfait

Posted on 2010/04/01 by allyson •

One of my favorite flavor combinations ever is peanut butter and jelly.  Since gluten is off limits for me, it is difficult to satiate my craving with a simple sandwich.  So,  I have resorted to eating  pb&j straight from a giant spoon every now and again.

Okay, I do it a lot.

The inspiration for this parfait is obvious.  Getting my peanut butter and jelly fix this way assures no odd looks from my husband, and it’s a bit less barbaric. Perhaps even fancy.

P B & J Parfait

makes 3 large parfaits

Ingredients:

First (peanut) Layer:

• 8 small dates, de-pitted
• 1/4 cup agave or maple syrup
• 1 cup roasted peanuts

Second (berry mousse) Layer:

• 1 package (349g) extra firm silken tofu
• 4 tbsp raspberry preserves
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup blackberries

Third Layer:

• Fresh Blackberries, cut into smaller sections ( I used a 6 oz. package for all three parfaits- including the 1/2 cup of berries from second layer)

Fourth (peanut butter mousse) Layer:

• 1 package extra firm silken tofu
• 5 heaping tbsp creamy natural peanut butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt (omit if using salted peanut butter)

Topping:

• 1/2 cup crushed roasted peanuts

Directions:

First layer:

Place all ingredients for first layer into a food processor and chop until crumbly.  Don’t let the food processor go too long or you will have gooey peanut butter!

Divide and spoon into three glasses. Clean out food processor.

Second Layer:

Place all ingredients for second layer into food processor and blend until very smooth.

Spoon into three glasses.  Clean out food processor.

Third Layer:

Evenly place blackberries on next layer of all three parfaits.

Fourth Layer:

Place all ingredients into food processor and blend until very smooth.

Spoon on top of blackberries in all three glasses.

Top each parfait with crushed roasted peanuts and garnish with fresh berries.

You can keep these parfaits in the fridge for a while before serving.  Best served cold. 

Information retrieved from http://allysonkramer.com/about/ and http://www.allysonkramer.com/2010/04/p-b-j-parfait/ on October 9, 2014.