Key Lime Parfaits

This particular recipe requires special equipment as well as special ingredients.  The recipe comes from a pastry chef and was quite challenging.  However, this does prove that with the proper instructions from a book, a person without any culinary training can create an incredible dessert.

This dessert is a very special spin on key lime pie.  The base is a graham cookie that is crispy and subtly sweet. That frozen layer is a mixture of dairy and tart key lime juice.  It is also garnished with sliced plums and surrounded with a unique sauce flavored with ginger, lime leaves and lemongrass.

This serves ten and requires that you have 10 ring molds, measuring 2X2.  Also, a scale is required to measure out the italian meringue.  Items with an asterisk are linked back to another post, which is the detail of dessert components that need to be created in advance of preparing this recipe.

I did find that the cookie stayed crisp as expected.  The custard topping really does have that unmistakable tart flavor of key lime that citrus lovers look for in a lime dessert.  It also has a silky smooth mouth feel, so I would say that the invert sugar ingredient was an asset.  The juicy plum slices on top compliment the custard nicely with their fleshy sweet interior and tart skin.  Also, I really liked the flavor notes in the sauce, so I am storing it for future use on fruit desserts.

Key Lime Parfait
adapted from Dessert Fourplay by Johnny Iuzzini

Ingredients/Italian Meringue
pinch of cream of tartar
2 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbs water

Take 1 tsp of sugar out of the 1/4 cup and put into bowl of a stand mixer.  Add the 2 egg whites and beat at low speed.

In a small saucepan, add the water and the rest of the sugar.  Mix until all there is no dry sugar.  Place over medium high heat until the syrup reaches 250 degrees.  I used a microwave and checked the temperature after 30 second intervals.  It took about a minute and 1/2 to reach the temperature.

Turn the mixer up to medium speed and beat until the consistency barely makes soft peaks.  Then, continue to beat and pour the water/sugar mixture into the egg whites.  Try to avoid getting it on the inside edge of the bowl and on the beater.  Turn the speed up to high and continue beating.  Once the outside of the bowl has cooled, the meringue has reached the correct consistency.  Set aside. There will be some excess left over after completing recipe.

Ingredients/Lime Parfait
1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
2/3 cup fresh key lime juice
1 split/scraped vanilla bean or 1 tbs vanilla extract or paste
1 cup milk
9 egg yolks
1/2 cup plus 3 tbs sugar
1 tbs invert sugar*

Place 10 ring molds (2X2) on top of a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet.  Put baking sheet in freezer.  Prepare a double boiler by filling bottom with water and heating until water comes to a simmer.  Also, fill a big bowl with ice and some water for a water bath to cool the parfait mixture after it cooks.

Fill the top of the double boiler with key lime juice, milk, vanilla, granulated sugar,yolks and invert sugar and mix together until all is blended.  Place over the bottom of the double boiler with simmering water.  Let the mixture cook, stirring and scraping sides occasionally.  Mixture will need to thicken and cook up to a temperature of 181 degrees.  Once it reaches that point, transfer the saucepan to water bath to cool off.  Mix often to help cool down to lukewarm then transfer to a large bowl.

At the lukewarm state, take out another bowl and fill with the whipped cream. Beat cream until it reaches the soft peak stage. Set aside.

Go back to the Italian meringue and measure out 50 grams and fold it into the lime custard.  Then add all of the whipped cream and gently fold it into the batter until no streaks remain.

Take the baking sheet of molds out of the freezer.  Using an ice cream scoop or pastry bag without a tip, fill the molds.  Cover the molds with plastic wrap and freeze for a minimum of 4 hours or up to 3 days.

Ingredients/Sauce
1/2 ounce chopped lime leaves
1 lemongrass stalk crushed and chopped
1/2 oz or 1 tbs fresh ginger (peeled and sliced)
1 1/4 cup simple syrup*
1/2 cup verjus

Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Continue to cook for 25 minutes or until mixture is reduced by 1/2. I measured 2 cups initially and cooked down to 1 cup.  Pour mixture into a strainer set over a heatproof bowl.  Let cool for 15 minutes and cover with plastic wrap and chill for a minimum of one hour or maximum of 3 days.

Ingredients/Assembly layers
3 or 4 ripe plums
10 graham cracker cookies*
 
Split plums and remove pits. Cut each half into thin slices and put on a plate. The task of cutting takes a very sharp knife and some dexterity.  Also, the ripeness of the plums will be a factor as well.

To assemble, place 1 graham cracker cookie on each serving plate. Remove baking sheet of frozen ring molds.  Using your hands, rub around the outside ring to help warm the interior.  Push the inner parfait out on top of the center of the graham cracker cookie.  Arrange the plum slices in a circle, starting with the outside going in.  Then drizzle a little of the sauce around the dessert.  Enjoy!
                            **LAST YEAR: Sweet Lemon Nut Bread**

Emerald River Parfaits

One of my favorite flavor combinations is chocolate and mint.  Actually, it was also one of my grandmothers favorites. My grandmother on my mother's side of the family passed away prior to me being born so I never knew her.  It is funny what kind of traits you carry from generations past, even if you never met them.

Anyhow, the bottom layer of the parfait is a chocolate cream made with semi sweet chocolate and the top is made with white chocolate and mint.  The mint is derived from crushed Altoid mints.  This is a wonderful way to get a strong mint flavor infused into desserts.  I got the idea from David Lebovitzs' mint brownies.

This creamy dessert is a great way to end the meal.  It is definitely a recipe that I will make again. This recipe makes 4 dessert parfaits

Emerald River Parfaits
by flourtrader

Ingredients/Chocolate Layer
1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 tbs and 1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/4 tsp unflavored powdered gelatin

Get out 4 wine glasses or any decorative glasses that hold 12 oz.  You will not be filling to the top, as shown in the picture above.

Place 1/4 cup and 2 tbs heavy cream in small bowl.  Sprinkle gelatin over top and push down with spoon to make sure it sinks.  Let stand for 7 minutes to soften.

Put remaining heavy cream ( 1 cup plus 2 tbs) and sugar in a saucepan over medium high heat.  Cook until mixture comes to a simmer.  Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips. Continue to stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth.

Place pan back on heat and whisk in the gelatin/cream mixture.  Keep the heat low, for you do not want it to get to a simmer. Continue to stir until gelatin is dissolved.  Place a mesh strainer over a bowl with a pour spout.  Pour the chocolate mixture into the strainer.

Now it is time to fill the wine glasses.  Taking the bowl, pour some of the chocolate batter into a 1/3 measuring cup.  Then slowly pour it into the center glass, making sure that nothing drips on the outer edges.  Continue with this process, measuring out each addition for the next three glasses.  I kept measuring out even down to tablespoons to make sure the layer would be even for all 4 glasses.

Refrigerate for about 4 hours or until set.

Ingredients/Mint Layer
Same as chocolate layer except:
white chocolate chips replace semi sweet
include 2 tbs powdered Altoid mints (I used a blender to convert to powder)

Follow the instructions for the first layer above and add the powdered mints to the cream/sugar mixture prior to adding the white chocolate.

Pour the mint layer in the center of the glass, over the set chocolate layer.  Refrigerate another 4 hours or until set.

Optional: Prior to serving, garnish with sweetened whipped cream and an Andes Candie in the center of the cream.
                                     **LAST YEAR: Old Fashioned Cookies**

Ivory Monkey Parfait

I am sure you are wondering what this Ivory Monkey is.  It is a pudding parfait that is made up of vanilla rum pudding, roasted bananas with cashews, shortbread cookies and caramel.

The pudding is enough for about 6 parfaits that probably only hold a little over 1/2 cup, filled to the top.  As an alternative, this can always be made in a big trifle dish.  The only ingredient that I had extra of was the cookies.  The exact yield is hard to place because people have their own preferences on how thick and how many layers they want in the individual serving.

As you go through this recipe, consider the versatility of the layers, they do not have to be used in a parfait.  The cashew bananas are great on ice cream as well as the banana whipped cream.  The pudding is great all alone or with some crunched up shortbread cookies on top.  I am sure you can come up with your own creative combination. Note that the pudding has to be prepared a day in advance.

Ivory Monkey Parfait
by flourtrader

Ingredients/Pudding
3 beaten egg yolks
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vanilla rum
1/2 tsp ground vanilla beans
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup and 3 tbs of sugar
2 tbs cold water
1 1/2 tsp powdered gelatin

Ingredients/Layers
Cashew shortbread or regular shortbread cookies (I used Keebler brand of Sandies)
Caramel ice cream topping (12 oz)
4  bananas
1 1/2 tsp water
2 tbs butter
1/2 cup chopped cashews
2 tbs confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream

The day before serving, make your pudding.  Put 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl then sprinkle over the gelatin powder and set aside.

In another bowl, beat together the egg yolks and sugar until pale and frothy.  This should take about 3 minutes. Pour the milk into another bowl and cover.  Then heat in microwave about 30 seconds.

Pour 1/3 of the hot milk into the egg mixture and stir.  Repeat process until all the milk is blended into the batter.  Then fill the bottom pan of a double boiler with water and let it come to a boil. Place the top pan over the bottom and pour in the batter.  Let cook for about 2-3 minutes.

Add the gelatin mixture and stir until it is dissolved and remove pan from heat.  Set aside to cool.

Beat the whipping cream in a bowl until soft peaks form and fold into cooled batter.  Lastly, add the rum and ground vanilla beans, stirring until well blended.  Cover bowl and place in fridge overnight to set up.

The next day you will make the layers.  Peel three of the bananas and slice into rounds between 1/4-1/2 inch thick.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Fill a saucepan with 1 1/2 tsp of water and place over medium high heat.  Place banana pieces in pan, spacing apart.  Cover pan and let the bananas steam cook for 1 minute.  Uncover and drain pan.

Melt the two tablespoons of butter and place in a shallow bowl.  Place the chopped cashews in another, setting it beside the bowl of butter.  Then take a baking sheet and line with foil.

Handling each banana piece lightly, dip into the butter and roll in the chopped cashews.  Place on the prepared baking sheet, making sure none are overlapping or touching.  Bake bananas in oven for 5-6 minutes on each side. You want all the cashews on the banana pieces to be toasted.  Remove pan from oven and let bananas remain on pan to cool.

For the whipped cream, place the remaining banana in the food processor and puree.  In another bowl, combine vanilla extract, confectioners sugar and heavy cream together.  Beat until stiff peaks are formed.  Then fold in the banana puree.

Take several cookies and break them up into small crumbs and place in a separate bowl.

Now you are ready to assemble your parfait.  I used a layer of pudding between each item.  It went like this (from bottom to top): pudding, caramel, pudding, cookie crumbs, pudding and cashew coated bananas.  Lastly, I spooned the whip cream on top and sprinkled it with cookie crumbs. Then it was ready to be served. 

The assembly is where personal preference comes in as to how big your parfait will be, how thick the layers will be and how many layers you will have.  Either way, this is a wonderful banana rum treat.  Enjoy!