Iced Lemon and White Chocolate Parfait With Pink Grapefruit and Champagne
In French, parfait means "perfect" which is how you will view this frozen custard dessert after just one bite. Although simple to assemble, the presentation is striking.
Ingredients
- Parfait
- Granulated Sugar - 3/4 cup
- Water - 1/3 cup
- White Chocolate - 4 oz., chopped
- Egg Yolks - 3
- Fresh lemon juice - 2 tablespoons
- Lemon zest - 1 teaspoon , freshly grated
- Whipping cream - 1 cup, whipped to soft-peak stage
- Garnish
- Tuille Biscuits - 8, (recipe follows)
- Pink Grapefruit Syrup - 1 cup (recipe follows)
- Champagne - 1/2 cup, chilled
- Fresh mint sprigs - 8
- Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
- Tuille Biscuits
- Egg Whites - 2, slightly beaten
- Super-fine Sugar - 1/2 cup
- All Purpose Flour - 1/2 cup
- Unsalted Butter - 1/4 cup, melted
- Pink Grapefruit Syrup
- Pink grapefruits - 2, peeled and segments chopped
- Granulated Sugar - 2 tablespoons
- Water - 1 tablespoon
Instructions
To prepare the parfait: In a small heavy saucepan, combine sugar and water. Cook over high heat until the mixture reaches a full boil. Continue to cook approx. 5-7 minutes, until this mixture reaches the thread stage. (Mixture will form "threads" when spoon is lifted from the saucepan.) Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler over barely simmering water. Stir until smooth. In a large mixing bowl, beat egg yolks until pale yellow and increased slightly in volume. Slowly pour hot sugar mixture into whipped egg yolks, stirring to incorporate evenly together. Immediately add melted white chocolate, stirring gently. Add lemon juice and lemon zest and stir mixture again to combine. Let mixture cool slightly, then gently fold in whipped cream. Ladle this mixture into 8 espresso cups and freeze overnight, or at least 8 hours. Put 8 serving plates into the freezer at the same time.
To serve: Remove chilled serving plates from freezer. Unmold parfaits from espresso cups by setting espresso cups into a basin of hot water for approx. 10-15 seconds. Remove espresso cups from hot water and invert to remove parfaits. Place each parfait in the center of each serving plate and top with a tuille biscuit. Spoon pink grapefruit syrup around each parfait following with mint garnishment. Finish with a splash of chilled champagne surrounding the pink grapefruit syrup.
Tuille Biscuits
Preheat oven to 325 F. Butter and lightly flour 2 baking sheets. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk egg whites and slowly add sugar. Gently stir flour into mixture, then fold in melted butter. Spread on the prepared pans in 4-inch circles approx. 4 inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes until edges are lightly browned and the centers are cooked through. Immediately remove from the baking sheets and twist into tulip shapes while still hot. Cool completely.
Pink Grapefruit Syrup
In a small heavy saucepan over high heat, cook grapefruit segments, sugar and water to boiling. Cook until mixture thickens to syrup consistency, approx. 3-4 minutes. Cool completely
