The Salt Line’s Orange Creamsicle Parfait

By Susan Able, Edible DC

If you have ever spent time on the Atlantic shore, from Maine to Delaware, everything about The Salt Line will give you nostalgia for those times. The restaurant’s Capitol Riverfront location is waterfront, and the menu will be familiar to patrons who love a seafood shack or ocean-side diner. Lobster rolls, a classic Waterman’s Platter, chowder and broiled cod are headliners. And what is more a retro summer touchstone than a Creamsicle? We give you The Salt Line’s Orange Creamsicle Parfait, by Joy Razzo, and we’re certain it will be the finishing star of many of your summer dinners.

Orange Creamsicle Parfait

Recipe by Joy Razzo

Serves 4–6

A layered tier of vanilla sponge cake, chia seed coconut custard, White Chocolate Krispies, orange segments and orange gelee, refrigerate overnight and serve it up. Time-saving hack: Use a purchased vanilla pound cake or angel food cake instead of making your own.

Vanilla Sponge Cake

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups sugar
1 (3.4-ounce) box vanilla pudding (not sugar free)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
½ cup canola or vegetable oil
½ cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare a half sheet pan for baking.

Whisk the flour, sugar, pudding mix, baking powder and salt until well combined, and set aside. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla extract until well combined. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix well until combined. Gently fold in melted butter. 

Bake for 15–20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely, then dice in small cubes for the parfaits. You’re going to have some left over so it’s OK to snack.

White Chocolate Krispies 

½ cup white chocolate
1 cup Rice Krispies
A pinch of salt

Melt the white chocolate in the microwave for 30–60 seconds. Important: Do this in 10-second increments so the chocolate does not burn. Stir after each 10 seconds.

Fold in the Krispies until fully coated. Add a pinch of salt. Toss to combine. Place on a tray and refrigerate for 5 minutes. Break into small bite-size pieces.

Citrus Segments

Segment 2–3 oranges; you can also use blood orange, Ruby Red grapefruit, Cara Cara oranges, pomelos or whatever you choose.

The Coconut Chia Pudding

½ cup whole milk
1 (13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
⅓ cup sugar
3⅓ tablespoons cornstarch
3 egg yolks
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon gelatin powder
2 teaspoons cold water
3 tablespoons chia seeds

Bloom the gelatin with cold water; set aside. Bring the milk and coconut milk to a boil. Whisk together sugar, cornstarch and yolk until combined. Temper, adding a little bit of hot milk mixture at a time to the egg yolk mixture, whisking the entire time, making sure to not scramble the yolks.

Add back to the pot and cook until thick. Then, add in the butter and the bloomed gelatin; whisk until combined. Press plastic film on top to stop a skin from forming and allow to cool at room temperature. Add in chia seeds and cool completely in the fridge.

Orange Gelee

1 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
½ teaspoon gelatin powder

Hydrate the gelatin powder with 2 teaspoons of the orange juice. Stir until dissolved. Add in remaining orange juice and set in the fridge overnight. If it becomes too thick, blend it with a little bit more orange juice until you get the desired consistency.

To Assemble

This recipe will make 4–6 individual parfaits, or you can assemble as one big trifle.

Start with a layer of the cake cubes, then a drizzle of orange gelee. Next layer is the coconut chia pudding. Then a layer of 3–4 pieces of the citrus segments. Repeat.

Photos by Jennifer Chase.