Chocolate-layered Lime Parfait with Raspberry Coulis
Towering icy parfaits are made of lime custard and whipped cream discs alternating with thin discs of pure chocolate. The tart raspberry coulis is the perfect counterpoint. If the stacked preparation seems daunting, try just the parfait, frozen in scoops and served with a lacing of chocolate and raspberry sauces. Stack them half as high, and serve twice as many!
Ingredients
- Lime Parfait
- Sugar - 1/2 cup
- Milk - 1/2 cup
- Egg Yolks - 6
- Fresh lime juice - 1/2 cup
- Lime Zest - 1 lime
- Heavy (whipping) cream - 1 cup
- Chocolate Discs
- Bittersweet Chocolate - 12 ounces, chopped
- Raspberry Coulis
- Fresh Raspberries - 1 cup
- Confectioners' Sugar - 1/4 cup
- Fresh lemon juice - 1 teaspoon
- Garnish
- Creme Anglaise (see Basics) - 1/2 cup
- Shaved white chocolate
- Confectioners' sugar
- Fresh raspberries
- Mint sprigs
Instructions
To make the parfait: In the top of a double boiler over simmering water, combine the sugar, milk, yolks, lime juice, and zest. Heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture doubles in volume and reaches 160 degrees. Immediately set pan in a large bowl filled with ice to chill, whisking constantly as it cools. When cooled below room temperature, remove from the ice bath and set aside.
In a large deep bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the lime custard. Line a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Spread the parfait one half to three-quarters of an inch deep in the pan and freeze for at least 3 hours.
To make the chocolate discs: Cover a sheet pan with heavy flexible plastic or aluminum foil.
In the top of a double boiler over gently simmering water, melt the chocolate and heat to 100 F. Remove from heat and cool to 90 F. Pour the chocolate out on the prepared sheet and spread to one-eighth inch thick. Refrigerate for 4 to 5 minutes. While still slightly soft, cut out sixteen 3-inch discs with a cookie cutter. Peel the extra chocolate away, leaving the discs. The extra chocolate may be remelted and used again.
To make the coulis: In the bowl of a blender or food processor, combine the ingredients and puree. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve, pressing on the pulp to extract all the juice, place in a squeeze bottle, and chill.
To assemble and garnish the dessert: Cut sixteen 2-1/2 inch discs out of the frozen parfait with a cookie or biscuit cutter. Set a chocolate disc in the center of each dessert plate. Squeeze three circles of coulis evenly spaced around each disc. Squeeze a smaller circle of creme anglaise on the inside edge of each coulis circle, and draw through the creme anglaise with the point of a knife, creating a swirled design in the coulis. Stack a disc of parfait on each chocolate disc, pressing down lightly, then top with a chocolate disc. Build each dessert with four chocolate and four parfait discs, starting with chocolate and ending with parfait. Sprinkle white chocolate shavings on top of the parfaits and around the parfaits on the plates; dust lightly with confectioners' sugar. Garnish with raspberries and mint sprigs.
