Name: Cheesecake Parfait for One
Total time: 10 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: ¼ cup hulled, chopped strawberries; 1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon sugar , divided; 2 ounces cream cheese , cut into 2 pieces and softened; 1 tablespoon heavy cream , half-and-half, or milk; ¼ teaspoon grated lemon zest; Pinch table salt; 1 graham cracker , crushed into coarse crumbs (¼ cup)

Why This Recipe Works

Cheesecake is notoriously fussy, with the cumbersome water bath and temperamental heat regulation. And a whole cheesecake packs a lot of richness—it’s a classic meant more for a crowd. But the flavors are quite simple: sweetened cream cheese, graham crackers, a berry topping. To bring this simplicity to a single-serve parfait cup, we started by macerating some berries to act as a juicy topping. Next we made a light and fluffy sweetened cream cheese mixture, to which we added a touch of lemon zest to cut through the richness. Finally, we crumbled up a graham cracker to give us classic flavor and some necessary crunch. Layer it or simply mix all the components together and enjoy. If you don’t want to wait for your cream cheese to soften, microwave it at 50 percent power for 20 to 30 seconds.

Before You Begin

You can use any cookie you have on hand in place of the graham cracker; any berry will work in place of the strawberries. You can sprinkle chopped crystallized ginger, fresh thyme or basil, and/or chocolate chips on top of the finished parfait.

Instructions

Toss strawberries with 1 teaspoon sugar in bowl; let sit for 2 minutes.

Whisk cream cheese, cream, lemon zest, salt, and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar together in separate bowl until smooth. Sprinkle graham crumbs into bottom of bowl, then top with cream cheese mixture and macerated strawberries. Serve.