Our friends at Grand Street Café are celebrating National Raspberries and Cream Day with an upscale version you’ll want to try at home. “This Berries Romanoff dessert is close to my home and my heart,” says chef Nickolai McPartland. “Growing up in Eastern Europe, my mom made this for me. The ingredients can be made in parfait form or with a tart. Hope you enjoy it as much as my family did.”
Berries Romanoff
(serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
2 cups sugar
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (or ground vanilla bean)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 ½ cups whipped cream
Store bought 4-inch vanilla tart shells (or granola)
Raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries—cut up in pieces, yield up to one cup
1-2 tablespoons Grand Marnier (for berry mixture) to taste
2 tablespoons sugar (for berry mixture)
Lemon zest or any citrus (for berry mixture)
3-4 mint leaves, chopped
Directions:
Whisk sugar and egg yolks until glossy, add in cornstarch. Set aside. Heat up milk to 140 degrees. In a bowl with egg yolk mixture, add vanilla bean and milk and whisk until incorporated, then fold in whipped cream. This makes your diplomat cream mixture. Set aside.
For the berry mixture, toss berries in Grand Marnier, sugar, citrus zest, and chopped mint leaves. (Chef note: You can substitute granola for the tart to build a parfait. Use your tart shell as the base and layer cream mixture, then the berries. Or if using granola, layer cream, berries, cream, then berries in glass.) Top with mint garnish.