“You know what ELSE everybody likes? Parfaits! Have you ever met a person, you say, ‘Let’s get some parfait,’ they say, ‘Hell no, I don’t like no parfait.’? Parfaits are delicious! ”
Donkey's not wrong.
A few months ago I went to a friend’s birthday dinner at Chino, and our party of nine ordered everything on the menu and then some. Unsurprisingly I couldn’t move by the end of the meal, I was so full of noodles and fried rice and something that I can only describe as Korean spiced packing peanuts, which sounds terrible but was actually my favorite thing I ate there. Since it was a birthday dinner, we had to order at least one dessert to poke a candle into for singing “Happy Birthday.” What arrived at the table was possibly the most cheerful looking dessert I’ve ever been served, a swirl of matcha soft serve topped with mochi bits and fruity pebbles. Despite the risk of bursting my overfull stomach, I tried a few bites. Instead of furthering my food coma, the matcha ice cream seemed to pull me out of it, and I’ve been wanting to recreate that magic sundae ever since.
My interpretation, these parfaits, look like something suited to a children’s party menu. They may be a little on the trashy side, but they are oh so good. Layers of matcha ice cream, whipped cream, mochi, and day-glo colored fruity pebble rice crispy treats get layered into glasses and then you eat it. It's that simple.
Except, making these meant that I had to actually go and purchase a box of Fruity Pebbles*.
*Looks like I'm not the only one!
I did not grow up eating a lot of sugary cereal, and I've eaten it even less frequently as an adult, so I felt actual embarrassment putting that bright red box with Fred Flintstone into my shopping basket. It seemed to me to announce to anyone who cared to notice that I either have the eating habits of a five year old or that I was planning to get very, very stoned. This idea was only solidified when I went to check out, and the guy in front of me in line complimented me on my purchase. Noticing that he reeked of pot, I decided to tell him my plans for the cereal. He proclaimed these treats "some next level baking shit," making my day.
I happily purchased my box of cereal and skipped home to make that next level a reality.
Matcha Ice Cream Parfaits with Mochi and Fruity Pebble Marshmallow Bars
For the parfaits:
Matcha Ice Cream (see note)
Mini Mochi Squares (I used these)
Fruity Pebble Rice Crispie Marshmallow bars (recipe below)
Whipped cream
Fruity Pebble and Brown Rice Marshmallow Bars
3 cups fruity pebbles
3 cups brown rice cereal
1 10 oz. bag marshmallows (not mini)
3 tbs butter
To make the treats:
- In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Mix together your cereals then pour into the marshmallow mixture. Stir until all cereal is completely coated, then press mixture into a greased 8”x8” pan (or 9”x13” if you want thinner squares).
Assemble the parfaits:
- Soften ice cream and scoop into a glass. Layer with mochi, fruity pebble bars, and whipped cream, in whatever amount you wish, and repeat.
Note:
- You can make the ice cream or use your favorite store bought ice cream. I made my own from David Lebovitz's recipe in The Perfect Scoop.
- Small glasses are better here. My parfaits pictured above are in tall glasses, which look really impressive but each one could serve at least 2 people.