.the princess portal.

I had a lovely lazy day today, its Boxing Day so still a holiday where I live. I believe it was supposed to be 44 degrees celsius outside at one point, but I barely left the pleasantly air-conditioned Palace. For christmas I was given some lovely dvds so Miss Charlotte and I relaxed and watched a few, drinking sparkling apple juice and nibbling on slices of pavlova. I flipped through the embroidery book from Mirai-chan and the lovely Pop-up book from Imuin, thank you both!

In the afternoon I made a pearl braclet with a ribbon rose as a Christmas gift for Miss C. Feeling like scribbling I also drew this sketch, its been floating around my mind for some time now and I’m happy to see it on paper, though it never comes out quite the same. Please click the image for a larger size. Sometimes its nice to do less and daydream more, especially when its toasty warm outside.

Hoping all your Christmas Wishes came true

1 large punnet of fresh strawberries
2 tbsp Honey
Vanilla Icecream
200ml Sour Cream
400ml Whipping Cream
4 Shortbread biscuits
Butter
Fruit, chocolate, or wafer to decorate

Makes about 4 depending on the size of your glasses

This is one of my favourite desserts to make around christmas time, when fresh strawberries are easy to find in my kingdom. It is a nice treat at any time of the year though and you can substitute frozen strawberries if need be.

The Parfait is meant to taste a bit like strawberry cheesecake, so first we start with the biscuit base. Crush up several shortbread biscuits with a fork until they are in crumbs. In a small bowl mix this with butter until it sticks together and forms lumps. I usually add a little butter at a time until it looks right. Scoop a spoonful of the biscuit base in to the bottom of each of your parfait glasses, press it down with the back of your spoon. To set the biscuit base put in the fridge for about 30mins.

Next we make the strawberry sauce. Take the stems off your strawberries and cut them in to small pieces. Put the strawberries in to your blender and blend until they are liquid. Add your honey and blend for a bit longer. It should taste sweet and fruity. Depending on your strawberries you may need to add more honey.

Then you will need to whip the cream, its easier with electric beaters but I don’t have any so I do this by hand which can take a long time. When it forms peaks it is ready. In a bowl blend your whipped cream with the sour cream using a spoon, it should have a slightly sour taste to it when you’re done.

Now comes the fun part, it’s time to layer your parfait! You can do this in whichever order you like. Put layers of cream, icercream and strawberry sauce until you fill up the glass. To make the layers visible you need to make sure the cream or icecream is fully blocking the edges of the glass or the sauce runs down the sides (it did a bit in mine.) Decorate the top with a strawberry, some chocolate sticks or wafers as you like. Enjoy!