Parfait (Generic Recipe)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Small heavy saucepan, about 1 litre
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Two nesting metal bowls for the ice bath
• •Balloon whisk or electric hand mixer
• •900 ml metal mould or eight 120 ml metal cups

Instructions

1. 1

   Separate the cross-reference

   Keep the book's cross-reference to Another Method of Preparing Aspics de Filets de Soles (No. 916) separate. It is a finished savoury preparation with its own formula and does not enter this dessert. The glossary term pralined belongs to the parfait flavour family, not to this rum preparation.

2. 2

   Make the cold syrup

   Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat only until every crystal dissolves, bring the clear syrup to one quiet simmer, then remove it immediately. The equal weights of sugar and water give the home equivalent of syrup at roughly 28° Baumé, which describes density, not temperature. Cool the syrup completely in a jug set over ice, stirring occasionally.

   Avoid a long boil. Evaporation makes the syrup too concentrated and the frozen parfait heavy; if the syrup weighs much less than 270 g after heating, restore the missing weight with cold water.
3. 3

   Cook the yolks

   Combine the yolks and all the cold syrup in a heavy saucepan. Whisk until even, then cook over the lowest heat, stirring continuously with a flexible spatula and reaching into every corner. Cook as for a crème anglaise (pouring custard) until the mixture turns pale, thickens slightly, and coats the back of a spoon, about 7 to 10 minutes or 80 to 82°C (176 to 180°F). Never let it simmer. If the first fine curds appear, lift the pan from the heat, set its base over ice, and whisk hard before straining. Ça se rattrape when caught at the first grain; firm scrambled curds mean the base must be begun again.

4. 4

   Whisk completely cold

   Strain the cooked yolk mixture immediately through a fine sieve into a clean metal bowl. Nest the bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water, then whisk continuously, by hand or with an electric mixer, until the base is thick, airy, and no warmer than 10°C (50°F). It should fall from the whisk in a pale ribbon, and the bowl should feel cold beneath your palm. If it is still warm, simply keep whisking over ice. Do not reach for the cream yet; this is the step that decides the parfait.

5. 5

   Whip the cream

   Whip the very cold cream in a chilled bowl until it holds stiff, upright peaks while remaining smooth and satin-finished. Stop as soon as it stands. If it begins to look slightly grainy, add a spoonful of the cold yolk base and fold gently until smooth. Ça se rattrape. Once distinct butter grains separate, however, the cream has gone too far.

6. 6

   Fold with rum

   Stir the rum into the cold yolk base. Fold in one-third of the whipped cream firmly to lighten it, then add the remainder in two additions, turning the mixture from the bottom with broad, deliberate strokes. Stop when no white pockets remain. Do not whisk now, because the air held by the cream is what gives the frozen parfait its fine, tender structure.

7. 7

   Mould and freeze

   Spoon the mixture into a 900 ml metal mould or eight 120 ml metal cups. Smooth the top, tap each mould once to dislodge large air pockets, and cover closely. Freeze the large mould for at least 6 hours, or the individual moulds for 3 to 4 hours, until firm throughout. Leave the preparation still as it freezes; a parfait is not churned.

8. 8

   Unmould and serve

   Dip the mould in barely warm water for 3 to 5 seconds, dry it, and invert it onto a chilled platter. If it clings, wrap the mould briefly in a warm damp cloth and try again rather than pulling at the parfait. Cut with a knife dipped in warm water and wiped dry between slices. Serve at once, pale, cold, and cleanly sliced. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The 28° attached to the syrup is a Baumé density, not a cooking temperature. Equal weights of sugar and water bring a home cook close enough without a syrup hydrometer, provided the mixture isn't boiled down.
• •Use cream with at least 35% fat and chill it thoroughly. Thin cream won't hold the stiff structure this formula needs, and a warm bowl makes the work unnecessarily difficult.
• •Measure the rum. Its flavour should remain after freezing, but extra alcohol softens the parfait and can keep the centre from setting cleanly.
• •The preparation belongs to a family of single-flavour ices. Coffee, vanilla, chocolate, and pralined parfaits all follow the same grammar, but keep each one focused rather than piling several flavours into the mould.
• •A bare parfait needs no ornamental garnish. Its smooth ivory surface, close cut face, and clean rum finish are enough. Cooking well is not cooking fancy.

Advance Preparation

• •The syrup can be made up to three days ahead and kept covered in the cold. Bring it fully back to refrigerator temperature before combining it with the yolks.
• •Freeze the parfait the day before serving. Once firm, cover it closely so it does not absorb freezer aromas; it keeps well for three days.
• •Unmould only when the table is ready for dessert. If the surface softens during unmoulding, return the parfait to the freezer for 10 minutes before slicing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 78g)