There are many types of cooks. Some cooks are wonderful at creating new and unusual dishes with what’s in the pantry. Other cooks are more dependent upon recipes and products that are on the grocery store shelf. Still other cooks prefer the crafter method of making everything themselves (it definitely is one sure way to know exactly what you’re eating).

My dear friend, Ruth, and I were talking recently about making a refreshing end-of-summer dessert, and we decided that Lemon Strawberry Parfait suited our taste buds. Lemon Strawberry Parfait is a simple-to-elaborate combination of lemon and strawberry flavors layered with crumbled cake or cookies and finished with a creamy topping. There is no right way to make it, but we thought it would be fun to explore how 5 different types of cooks might interpret the Lemon Strawberry Parfait concept.

Below are the 5 different cook approaches to making Lemon Strawberry Parfait that we came up with. You may think of other ideas that you can include in your family cookbook, depending upon the type of cook you are, of course:

Lemon Strawberry Parfait – From Scratch Cook
Makes cake with flour, sugar, eggs and flavorings.
Makes lemon curd with lemons from her tree.
Picks fresh strawberries from her garden.
Milks cow to obtain cream to whip for topping.

Lemon Strawberry Parfait – Convenience Cook
Uses cake mix to make the cake.
Buys instant lemon-flavored pudding.
Selects fresh strawberries in the produce section of the supermarket.
Tops dessert with Redi-Whip from the dairy case.

Lemon Strawberry Parfait  – Assembler Cook
Selects ready made cake from the supermarket bakery.
Buys lemon-flavored yogurt in the dairy case.
Purchases frozen strawberries in flavored syrup.
Tops dessert with Cool Whip spooned from the container.

Lemon Strawberry Parfait  – No Time Cook
Buys Lemon Strawberry Parfait or similar facsimile dessert at a fast food / take-out restaurant, or any ready-made food outlet.

Lemon Strawberry Parfait  – Gourmet Cook
Makes vanilla sugar cookies to crumble into parfait layers.
Whips cream cheese with sweetened condensed milk.
Selects fine organically grown strawberries.
Drizzles Limoncello liquer over top.

Which of these Lemon Strawberry Parfait interpretations is the correct one? It’s anybody’s guess, and it depends upon the type of cook you are. I bet all of them taste pretty good, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find a recipe for Lemon Strawberry Parfait in your next family cookbook.

Happy cookbooking,

Matilda