Whole Food, Plant-Based Recipe Cherry Chocolate Velvet Parfait

Recipe courtesy of Chef Brandy Cochrane, PPMNY Culinary Educator

A luscious Black Forest parfait—plant-based, low-potassium, and as beautiful as it is nourishing. Watch a cooking demo of this recipe here.

Yield: 20 portions
Prep: 10 min, Cook: 1 hr, Total: 1 hr 10 min

Ingredients

For the chocolate Silk

  • 14 oz silken tofu (drained)

  • 3 oz unsweetened baking dark chocolate (70% cocoa or higher)
  • 1 oz cocoa powder
  • 2 T pure maple syrup
  • ¾ tsp liquid smoke (optional, for smoky depth)
  • ¼ tsp sea salt (optional, enhances chocolate flavor)

For the topping

  • 3 cups frozen cherries, pitted and roughly chopped

  • 1 cup water
  • 2 T lemon juice
  • 2 T maple syrup, if needed
  • 2 T cornstarch
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

For the chocolate silk

1. Drain excess liquid from silken tofu using a fine mesh strainer for a few minutes.
2. Melt the dark chocolate gently using a double boiler or microwave in short intervals, stirring until smooth.
3. In a blender or food processor, combine drained tofu, melted dark chocolate, maple syrup, liquid smoke (if using), and salt.
4. Blend until completely smooth and creamy.
5. Pour mousse into serving dishes and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours to chill and set.

For the topping

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the pitted cherries, water, lemon juice, maple, and cornstarch, and cook over medium heat.
2. When the mixture starts to boil, reduce to a simmer and let cook for ten minutes, or until thickened.
3. After ten minutes, pour in the vanilla extract and mix well to combine.
4. Transfer the compote to a bowl and let cool completely at room temperature.

Constructing the Parfait

Add the black forest cherry topping to a cup and top with chocolate silk. Finish with cocoa powder if desired.