Black Forest Parfait with Homemade Cherry Compote

Place sour cherries and granulated sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Mix cornstarch with water, then add to the cherries. Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in kirsch (if using), and let cool completely.

Chop the dark chocolate finely. Heat 100 ml of heavy cream in a small saucepan until it just begins to simmer. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate, let it sit for 1-2 minutes, then stir until smooth. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, whip 200 ml of cold heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, loosen the mascarpone, then gently fold in the whipped cream until a homogeneous cream is formed.

Crush the chocolate cookies into coarse crumbs. You can do this by placing them in a bag and crushing with a rolling pin, or by using a food processor.

Take 4 serving glasses. Start layering with a portion of cookie crumbs, followed by cherry compote, then mascarpone cream, and finally chocolate ganache. Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used or the glasses are full. Place the parfaits in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to allow the flavors to meld and the cream to set. Garnish with fresh cherries and chocolate shavings before serving.