Greek Yogurt Dessert with Sour Cherries, Strawberries, Mangoes & Pistachios

When it comes to dessert, more often than not I'm a chocolate girl. Give me chocolate ice cream, cake, or just a bar of dark chocolate and I'll be happy.

On rare occasions, however, I prefer something lighter. I do not count fruit as dessert, but if it accompanies a slice of cheesecake or is added on top of a pound cake with whipped cream, I'll give it a go.

One of my most favorite desserts comes from Zaytinya in Washington DC. Anytime I dine at that restaurant, I order the Greek Yogurt Apricot Parfait and refuse to share it with others. The combination of sweet apricots, tangy yogurt and slightly salted pistachios is divine.

Imagine my delight when I saw the recipe for this dessert featured in The Washington Post!
I printed it out, added it to my Pinterest board, and decided to make it in the near future. Last weekend, was finally "the near future."

Before I tell you about my version of Zaytinya's dessert, here's a photo I took of the dessert on my last visit to the restaurant:

Greek Yogurt Dessert with Sour Cherries, Strawberries, Mangoes & Pistachios
Adapted from The Washington Post
Serves 4-6

Note: my version is lighter and simpler than the one featured in The Washington Post. Also, I chose to use a variety of fruit/berries. You can use what you like and/or what's in season. The amount of fruit listed is just a suggestion.

Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla puree {if you don't have vanilla puree, use vanilla extract, or the seeds from fresh vanilla bean}
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups low fat Greek yogurt
2 cups sour cherries {I used the ones I had sitting in my freezer and just defrosted them. You can use canned sour cherries (Trader Joe's sells them) or use fresh cherries or raspberries.}
6-10 strawberries, sliced
1-2 mangoes, peeled, chopped
1 cup pistachios, shelled, chopped {I think it's the best to use roasted and lightly salted pistachios}

Directions
1. In a large bowl, add heavy cream, sugar and vanilla puree. Using a handheld mixer, beat the ingredients together until the cream forms stiff peaks.

2. Carefully fold the whipped cream into yogurt.

3. In individual glasses add sour cherries, top with the yogurt mixture, then strawberries, more yogurt mixture, then chopped mangoes, a dollop of yogurt, and, finally, chopped pistachios. Serve immediately.

What can I say? This dessert is incredible. It's not overly sweet, has gorgeous colors, and a variety of textures, and would also be amazing for breakfast. Who would say no to this?

Have you tried to recreate your favorite dish from a restaurant? What was it? Were you successful?