Quince-Pomegranate Cheesecake Parfait

Granite:

• 3 pomegranates
• 2 T granulated sugar

Quince:

• 4 medium-sized quince… 3 C packed shredded
• 2 T unsalted butter
• 1/3 C granulated sugar
• 3 T freshly steeped tea
• 1/2 C water
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split, soft seeds scraped out
• 1/4 t ground ginger

Cheesecake:

• 3 oz cream cheese
• 4 oz goat cheese
• 1/4 C +1 T granulated sugar
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 C heavy cream
• 4 graham crackers

Method:

With a sharp knife remove the bottom and top of the three pomegranates. Pull apart each fruit and, breaking through the pith as you go, remove all of the pomegranate seeds. Place the seeds and the granulated sugar into the bowl of a food processor and process until little to no fruit pulp remains on the seeds. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, place in a shallow dish and freeze solid.

Make yourself a friendly, restorative cup of tea and set aside 3 tablespoons of it to cook the quince.

Peel, pare, and grate the four quince. Heat the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat until melted and foamy, add the quince and turn with a spoon. Add the remaining “quince” ingredients and simmer until tender, about 35 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Cream the cream and goat cheeses with the sugar until very light. Add the lemon juice and beat until fluffy. Softly whip the heavy cream in a separate bowl. Don’t over whip the cream, or it will break into butter lumps as you add the cheese mixture. With a whisk, fold a small portion of the cheese mixture into the whipped cream, gently shaking off the mixture clinging to the inner part of the whisk as you fold. Fold in the remaining cheese mixture in the same manner.

Crumble the four graham crackers into bite-sized pieces. Divide the pieces evenly into 4 parfait glasses. Divide half of the cheesecake filling into the glasses and top with the shredded quince. Layer the remaining cheesecake over the quince. Chill until service.

With a tablespoon, scrape across the pomegranate ice. Continue scraping until all of the ice is a light spoonable granite. Top the parfaits with the pomegranate and serve immediately.