Tips: An uncomplicated, pretty dessert that must be made just before serving. You'll need four parfait glasses, each of eleven ounce capacity; this looks especially attractive in short-stemmed, narrow-bottomed, "tulip" shaped glasses. I use Stonyfield Farm yogurt, which is milder and less tart than some. The chocolate wafers I buy are Nabisco Famous brand, and this recipe takes half of a nine ounce box.

• 1 generous quart strawberries
• 2-1/4 c. French vanilla yogurt, stirred until smooth
• 1/3 c. miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• About 22 chocolate wafers, ground or crushed, to make 1-1/2 c. crumbs

Set aside four of the best-looking strawberries for a garnish. Pick over the rest, discarding any that are moldy or too soft; wash the remainder briefly and dry gently but thoroughly. Hull, trim, and slice thinly; you should have about 3 cups.

Stir together the yogurt and chocolate chips; set aside.

Drop a few strawberry slices into the bottom of each parfait glass. Cover with a thin layer of wafer crumbs, levelling the surface of the crumbs with a spoon. Cover the crumbs with a layer of the yogurt mixture. Don't be too generous with any one ingredient or you won't have enough to go around.

Repeat the strawberries-crumbs-yogurt mixture layering until the glasses are filled, ending with a layer of yogurt. I end up making 9 layers altogether (that is, I repeat the strawberries-crumbs-yogurt layering three times). As you fill up the glasses, try to place some of the strawberry slices against the outside of the glass, and push the slices part way into the previous layer (of yogurt) as you go along.

Garnish each parfait with one of the reserved strawberries. Serve immediately, preferably with long-handled spoons.

4 servings

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