Parfait Recipe
Looks great and tastes great, this coffee parfait recipe features the yummy crunch of nutty homemade praline.
Perfect Parfait
Parfait means perfect in French. I don't know if this frozen dessert is perfect, but it is certainly flexible. Traditionally flavored with coffee, you will also find it made with fruit purees, chocolate, and different liqueurs.
You can serve this dessert in a parfait glass or just about any pretty dish you wish. You can also freeze it in one large mold and then slice it to serve. Finally, a parfait can be made in individual molds that are then dipped in hot water for 10 seconds before being unmolded and served.
This parfait dessert calls for praline (or pralin as it is called in France). This popular dessert ingredient is made from candied almonds and hazelnuts that are finely ground to make a sort of crunchy powder. If you live in France, you can find packaged pralin in most grocery stores, otherwise here is an easy praline recipe.
The parfait recipe also calls for vanilla sugar. Vanilla sugar is often used in French dessert recipes, and one can buy it in little packages that contain about two teaspoons. However, it is very easy to make your own and homemade is far better. Learn how with this vanilla sugar recipe.
Because this parfait recipe involves making a sort of pâte a bombe, you should use very fresh eggs. Although hot syrup is poured into the eggs, I just can't imagine they end up being all that cooked.
Parfait Pralinée
Prep time: 30 min
Freezing time: 4 hours
Makes 6 generous parfaits
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon coffee extract
- 1 cup very cold whipping cream
- 2 packages vanilla sugar (or 1 tablespoon homemade vanilla or plain sugar)
- 4 ounces ground praline
Directions
- Chill cream. Pour the whipping cream into a metal mixing bowl and place in the refrigerator.
- Prepare sugar syrup. Place the sugar with 2 tablespoons of water in a small saucepan. Place on medium heat and bring to a boil. Boil for two minutes or until 120° C (248° F).
- Whisk eggs and syrup. Break the eggs into a mixing bowl and begin beating them with an electric whisk. Continue beating and pour in the sugar syrup in a very thin steady stream. Beat in the coffee extract. Continue beating until the mixture has completely cooled and has become very thick and ribbony (about 10 minutes).
- Whip cream. Remove the mixing bowl from the refrigerator and whip the cream until soft peaks form. Whip in the vanilla sugar and continue beating until firm.
- Fold together. Fold the whipped cream delicately into the whipped egg mixture. Fold in the ground praline and continue folding just until everything is mixed. Spoon this mixture carefully into 6 parfait glasses.
- Layer if you wish. Alternatively you can reserve some of the ground praline and layer it with the egg and cream mixture in the parfait glasses.
- Freeze. Cover the parfait glasses with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 4 hours before serving.
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