Parfaits are back in fashion -- but the elegant sweet and savory creations on today's restaurant menus bear little resemblance to the parfaits in those long-ago memories. The word ``parfait'' brings to mind images of children, long spoon in hand, sitting around a table with other children smiling at the elegant tapered glasses filled with layers of rich chocolate pudding and whipped cream. To my young mind, this striped dessert seemed so fancy, it made no difference that the pudding was instant or whether it was easy or hard to make.
The dish has two very different culinary origins: American and French. American-style parfaits generally contain ice cream and can be layered with an endless array of ingredients, including fruit, cake, liqueur or syrup. There is a strawberry parfait that layers pastry cream, angel food cake, fresh strawberries and whipped cream. This is clearly an American-style dessert; even more so if it has a lidded plastic container standing in for the tapered glass.
According to Kraft Foods, the makers of Jell-O, the earliest print ad for Jell-O pudding that featured a parfait recipe appeared in 1942. The recipe, for chocolate peppermint parfait, called for chocolate pudding, whipped cream and peppermint extract. It also encouraged cooks to tint the dessert a delicate green. By no means haute cuisine, these parfaits were intentionally homey. In fact, the ad's slogan was: 'Like Grandma's -- only more so!'
Today's chefs, particularly those at upscale restaurants, are not evoking images of apron-clad grandmothers with their parfaits. Rather, they adhere to the dessert's French origins. (Incidentally, parfait translates as ``perfect.'') French-style parfaits use flavored custard bases chilled in terrine molds, not in ice cream makers, which incorporate too much air, and often are presented unmolded on a plate rather than in a tall glass. The result, both in flavor and appearance, differs dramatically from its American counterpart.
Traditional French parfaits were coffee-flavored and chilled in conical or cylindrical molds. Now they can be flavored any number of ways, but the technique is still the same: Begin with a hot sugar-syrup and egg yolks; beat until cool; incorporate flavorings like seasonal fruit purees, liqueurs or chocolate; and then fold in softly whipped heavy cream. Pour the lightened custard into a mold to set up in the freezer, then unmold and slice into portions. Parfaits are very airy, and are convenient to make at home because they don't require an ice cream maker. But they do require delicacy and patience.
In San Francisco there is, among many others, a triple vanilla bean parfait, a Meyer lemon parfait and a stone-fruit parfait. Only the latter is served frozen; the other two are frozen only until they are firm enough to cut into interesting shapes. The parfaits are often placed atop elegant cookies for textural contrast and served with a sauce alongside.
In Saratoga they serve a hazelnut latte parfait. How trendy! They favor the traditional custard preparation as well, but flavored with espresso and candied hazelnuts and is served with chocolate mousse. Parfaits should be frozen but because of their fat and sugar content, they don't freeze like ice cream.
In other words, they are lighter and softer than traditional ice cream.
In Menlo Park they serve triple chocolate parfait with strawberry coulis as one of the restaurant's most popular desserts. They pair a different flavoring with each of the three chocolates in the parfait: The white chocolate layer is flavored with lemon juice, the milk chocolate with Bailey's Irish Cream and the dark chocolate with Kahlúa. To make the dessert, each layer is poured into a terrine mold and frozen before the next layer is added. The final product is then sliced and served with strawberry coulis.
Must parfaits be sweet? Not necessarily. You can serve a fois gras parfait with a dried fruit compote, port reduction and brioche toast. And a fresh and smoked salmon parfait with wild mushrooms flavored with fresh herbs and hot chile oil and served with a balsamic vinegar glaze.
Parfaits belong to the same family of custard-based dishes as the bombe, nougat glacé, frozen souffle and even the Italian semifreddo. A bombe generally includes two or more flavors, whereas a parfait usually features a single dominant flavor. A bombe is spherical, similar to an igloo, and cutting into one reveals contrasting colors echoing the two flavors. A nougat glacé incorporates chopped nuts for a chewier texture. A frozen souffle uses separately beaten egg whites in addition to the yolks and often is served in a ramekin. A semifreddo can be any chilled or partially frozen dessert that often incorporates whipped cream or meringue.
These definitions are fluid, and one chef's parfait could easily be another's frozen souffle.
© HWS, 2004