Mango Cheesecake Parfait

I love mangoes. Their sweet pulpiness makes them more decadent than other fruit. Thanks to innovation, eating mangoes has never been easier because there is now a handy 3-in-1 mango slicer, peeler and pit remover tool to make eating mangoes that much easier. If you can’t get fresh mangoes, this recipe can easily be made with frozen mango pieces or even mango puree.

I created this Mango Cheesecake Parfait recipe because I wanted something light for dessert. I am a true chocoholic, but I was in the mood for fruit. I’d done several back-to-back chocolate cakes and my taste buds needed a tropical break.

On my first attempt, I didn’t add any cookies to the layers of parfait. Although I love creamy textures, I thought the creamy textures were too creamy. It needed some crunch for texture and something to break up the mango-coconut sweetness. On my second attempt, I made it two different ways–with graham crackers and with amaretto cookies. The flavor of the graham crackers was good, but it was harder to get the bigger chunks that I wanted for texture since Graham Crackers are flat. The shape of the Italian Amaretto Cookies was perfect–round and puffy–and the flavor hit the mark as well.

I also thought the flavor in the cheesecake layer needed some depth. As this is a blog devoted to wine and food, I added a few tablespoons of Amaretto to the cheesecake mixture. That combined with the Italian Amaretto Cookies was just what this dessert needed to go from good to wowza.

I sent a Mango Cheesecake Parfait to my neighbor who also acts as my taste tester, and her exact text back to me was, “OMG, this isn’t food, it’s an experience!”

As someone who spends hours everyday in my kitchen coming up with new recipes, this Mango Cheesecake Parfait is currently my favorite  non-chocolate dessert recipe. Yes, it’s that good. When you pair it with the right dessert wine, it is indeed heaven. (Keep reading. The wine pairing with mango cheesecake parfait is coming.)

This recipe is great for guests because you can make it ahead of time. Plus, as desserts go, it’s on the lighter side.

Notes & Substitutions:

• You can make this with a full-fat version using heavy cream and regular cream cheese, but I don’t think you need to. ​ It is so rich and satisfying just like it is.
• You can use any type of wine glass, water glass or parfait dish the layer this dessert, but I think martini glasses are an elegant way to show off the layered mango cheesecake parfait.
• You can make this recipe child-friendly by omitting the Amaretto and using graham cracker crumbs instead of Amaretto cookies. You can also split the recipe in half and only add amaretto to half of it once you’ve made dessert for the kiddos.

2 cups mango pulp
1 cup mango pieces (2-3 fresh)
1/2 cup coconut cream, divided
8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
8 oz. Cool Whip, lite
3-4 Tbsp. amaretto liqueur
​1/2 tsp. vanilla
​1 Pkg. Italian Amaretto CookiesPREPARE
Cook mango pulp in a sauce pan over medium heat until reduced by half (about 30 minutes). Then let cool completely. Mix in 1/4 cup coconut cream.Cut fresh or frozen mangoes. Keep 6-8 larger wedge pieces for garnish. Dice the remaining mangoes into small pieces.Whip cream cheese, 1/4 cup of coconut cream, vanilla and amaretto. Fold in Cool Whip. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Break apart 24-30 small amaretto cookies into chunks. Reserve 2 whole cookies for each parfait dish–one for the bottom and one for the top.

ASSEMBLE
Place one cookie in the bottom of  a martini glass. Layer with cheese cake mixture, mango pulp, fresh mango pieces, and broken cookies. Repeat. Add a dollop of cheesecake mixture at the top and then garnish with a wedge of mango and another whole cookie. If you are going to make these ahead of time, cover with plastic and add the final cookie just before serving.

Makes 6-8 servings.

The Moscato d’Asti is the perfect wine pairing for this mango cheesecake parfait. If you’re not familiar with Moscato d’Asti, it’s made from the Muscat Blanc grapes in the Piedmont area of Italy. Moscato d’Asti is low in alcohol (typically 5.5%), has light bubbles (known as frizzante), zippy acidity,  a tropical fruit aroma, and a clean finish.

Because I’m writing this in Panama during Coronavirus times, I don’t have access to all of the wines I normally do. I found a frizzante wine from Spain made from Verdejo and Gewurztraminer grapes. Gewurztraminer is another grape that pairs well with tropical fruit, and at about $8, it was the perfect pairing for the mango dessert.

Something to note when deciding on a wine pairing for this Mango Cheesecake Parfait…there is also a Moscato dessert wine that is intensely sweet. It won’t pair as well as there will be too much sweetness and not enough acidity. A frizzante is quite inexpensive and is a great patio wine on a hot summer’s day.