Parfait (Generic Recipe)

Parfait (a frozen yolk-and-cream dessert) teaches a rule every cold mousse obeys: warm custard and whipped cream cannot be hurried together. The yolks must cook gently in syrup, then be whisked over ice until the mixture and the bowl are truly cold. Fold sooner and the cream slackens, taking the parfait's lightness with it.

The original formula assumed thirty yolks, a strong arm at the whisk, dedicated parfait moulds, and a freezer packed with ice and salt. For one cook, one stove, one evening, six yolks, an electric hand mixer, an ice bath, and a small metal mould do the same work. Only the scale and freezing time change, because a home freezer works more slowly. The brigade quantity was scaffolding; the syrup-cooked yolks, straining, cold whisking, and stiff cream are the dish and must stay.

When it is right, the parfait is ivory-pale and finely aerated, firm enough to slice but softer than ordinary ice cream, with rum warming the finish. Before you fold, touch the bowl: it must feel cold, not merely cool.