Sacher Parfait with Strawberries
Sweet frozen parfaits flavored with a little chocolate, nougat, and brandy are served with fresh strawberries. Nougat is available from baker’s supply stores; it is a creamy candy made of caramelized sugar and nuts. The parfaits may be frozen in tall ramekins or in any suitable mold.
Ingredients
- Cookie Bases
- Unsalted Butter - 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons
- Confectioner’s Sugar - 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons, sifted
- Unbleached All-purpose flour - 1 cup
- Egg Yolk - 1
- Vanilla Extract - 1/2 teaspoon
- Dash of salt
- Walnuts - 1/4 cup, finely chopped
- Parfaits
- Eggs - 2
- Sugar - 1/4 cup
- Bittersweet Chocolate - 2 ounces
- Milk - 2 tablespoons
- Nougat - 1/4 cup
- Brandy - 1 tablespoon
- Heavy (whipping) cream - 1 , beaten to firm peaks
- Strawberries - 1 pint, hulled
Instructions
To make the cookie bases: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly buttered aluminum foil. Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually stir in the flour to blend. Add the egg yolk, stirring to blend completely. Stir in the vanilla and salt, then the walnuts. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured board to a 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out six 3-inch circles (trimmings may be formed into cookies and eaten separately). With a thin spatula, transfer the circles to the prepared pan. Bake 8 to 9 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven and let cool. Remove the cookies from the pan with a spatula and set aside.
To make the parfaits: Combine the eggs and sugar in a heatproof bowl and place over a pan of barely simmering water. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until the mixture has warmed and just started to thicken, about 4 minutes; remove from heat and continue whisking until it has cooled to room temperature.
Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water and pour into a large warmed bowl. Gently whisk in the milk until smooth. Whisk in the nougat until smooth, then the brandy. Gently whisk in the egg-sugar mixture. Fold in the whipped cream. Spoon or pipe the mixture into ramekins or molds and cover each with a cookie base. Freeze at least 6 hours.
To prepare the strawberries: Slice each strawberry into thin vertical slices.
To serve: Lay a fan of strawberry slices three-fourths of the way around one side of a plate. Continue, overlapping slices slightly and working toward the other side, until an area the size of a ramekin or mold remains uncovered and the rest of the plate is covered with strawberry slices. Repeat with the remaining plates.
To unmold a parfait, wrap a warm towel around a mold. Stick a fork in the cookie base of the mold and twist to start the parfait turning within the mold. Twist and remove. Place the unmolded parfait in the clear spot of a prepared dessert plate. Repeat with the remaining molds.
