Fresh Blueberry Parfaits with Pistachio Crumble

This is my favorite blueberry dessert, a quick no-cook recipe that I came up with more than twenty years ago. I’ve made hundreds of them, both in pretty glass serving bowls and in little Mason jars so that I can twist on the lids and take them to an event. (I once actually made them in the car on the way to an event. No, I wasn’t driving.) 

The plump, sweet, freshly picked blueberries are undoubtedly the star, but I can’t say enough good things about the sour cream topping. Don’t skip it, and don’t replace it with whipped cream. Trust me, people will think you pulled out a double boiler and made custard. The fact that it’s nothing more than two ingredients stirred together at the last minute can be our little secret. 

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup blueberry preserves, or as needed
• 1/2 cup coarsely crumbled all-butter shortbread cookies (such as Walker’s)
• 1/4 cup shelled pistachios (salted is fine, especially if you like sweet and salty)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup raw, coarse sugar (such as Sugar in the Raw)

Directions

Place the berries in a large bowl. Stir in only enough preserves to lightly coat the berries and turn them shiny. Divide among small bowls or drinking glasses (such as a highball glasses.) Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes and up to overnight. 

When ready to serve (up to 2 hours ahead), stir together the cookie crumbs, pistachios, and cardamom in a small bowl. Drizzle the butter over the top and toss to mix well. Sprinkle over the berries. 

Just before serving, stir together the sour cream and sugar in a small bowl and top each serving with a generous dollop. Serve quickly before the crunchy sugar dissolves into the sour cream.

Sheri Castle, award-winning food writer and cooking teacher, is known for melding culinary expertise, storytelling and humor, so she can tell a tale while making a memorable meal. Her creative, well-crafted recipes and practical advice inspire people to cook with confidence and enthusiasm. She's written a tall stack of cookbooks and her work appears in dozens of magazines. In 2019, the Southern Foodways Alliance named Sheri among Twenty Living Legends of Southern Food, calling her The Storyteller.

Sheri says that she's fueled by great ingredients and the endless pursuit of intriguing stories, usually about the role that food plays in our lives, families, communities and culture.

When she steps away from the kitchen or a local farm, Sheri enjoys spending quiet time at her home near Chapel Hill. She hails from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.