Chocolate Lavender Parfait – Random Recipes
This month Dashing Dom has joined forces with Krazy Kavey in a chilling combination of Random Recipes and Bloggers Scream for Ice Cream. Now that Autumn has descended on us rather earlier than expected, ice-cream is no longer top of my list of desired desserts. However, ice-cream and frozen desserts are what we’ve been tasked to make, so I gritted my teeth and went to interrogate Eat Your Books. This is my preferred method of selecting my books for these Random Recipe occasions.
This time I limited the search to my chocolate books, which I was somewhat surprised to see has reached the grand total of seventeen. Ultimate: the Green and Black’s New Collection was the book randomly selected. I haven’t looked at this tome in such a long time that I was pleased to renew my acquaintance. It turns out it contains quite a few ice-cream recipes as well as a recipe for chocolate parfait – a frozen dessert which I’ve never made before. I decided to make half the quantity as I didn’t have much space in the freezer; this meant I needed about 60g of dark chocolate. Now it just so happens that I had 70g of dark lavender chocolate lying about; I’d found this too strong and soapy to eat on its own, so it was awaiting just such an occasion as this. Lavender chocolate works wonderfully well when incorporated into other recipes, I reckon. The parfait recipe included coffee, but as I was adding lavender, I omitted this.
This is how I made:
Chocolate Lavender Parfait
- Whipped 150g double cream to soft peaks using hand beaters.
- Separated two large eggs, putting the yolks into a bowl and the whites into the fridge for some future use.
- Warmed 75 ml water in a small pan and dissolved 60g golden caster sugar in it.
- Notched up the heat and boiled the syrup for 2 minutes, then turned the heat off.
- Added 70g chopped dark lavender chocolate (72%) and left to melt.
- Beat the egg yolks with the hand held beaters, then slowly poured in the chocolate syrup beating all the while. Carried on beating until the mixture was almost cool.
- Beat in 1 dessertspoon of cognac, then folded in the whipped cream.
- Divided the mixture between four ramekin dishes and placed in the freezer.
To be honest I’m not terribly sure what the difference between a parfait and ice-cream is technically, but it’s a very good way of making a no-churn frozen dessert. It was velvety smooth and not a shard of ice crystal could be detected. It’s very rich and truly decadent, but the soupçon of lavender keeps it tasting fresh and prevents it from cloying on the palate as some creamy confections can do. The cognac gave a welcome hint of sophistication and brought out the other flavours. This is a perfect use for lavender chocolate and a brilliant make ahead dessert I can now knock up for future dinner parties.
This chocolate parfait is being entered into random ice cream – the joint Random Recipes and Bloggers Scream for Ice Cream event hosted over at Belleau Kitchen and Kavey Eats.
A healthy dose of cognac makes this dessert crazy enough for me, so I am entering it into Baking with Spirit over at Cake of the Week where Janine has asked us to all go crazy.
I’m also sending this off to Lucy’s #CookBlogShare over at Supergolden Bakes.
Oh So Gawjess
25th August 2014 at 8:04 amNow this is a pregnant ladys dream. Looks so tasty although I dont think Id be allowed the eggs =( I will come back in a few weeks when I have give birth!
xXx
Follow me too? Oh So Gawjess
Choclette
25th August 2014 at 8:34 amThank you. Good luck with the birth. In theory the eggs are pasteurised but the hot syrup in this recipe, but I think I’d be cautious too.
Laura Denman
25th August 2014 at 8:24 amMmmm, this looks so smooth and lovely. I love how you’ve put it in little ramekins too.
Choclette
25th August 2014 at 8:35 amThanks Laura – it’s addictive stuff and I’m always pleased when I have an excuse to use these ramekins 🙂
The Caked Crusader
25th August 2014 at 9:21 amOoh – that texture looks amazing!
Choclette
25th August 2014 at 10:14 amIt was super smooth and velvety CC.
Harmony Marsh
25th August 2014 at 9:24 amThe chocolate you used didnt have just lavender oil did it, it had actual lavender flower petals! Thats interesting, i May have to do something with all the lavender I picked this year…. with chocolate 🙂
Choclette
25th August 2014 at 10:17 amNo the chocolate was oil and had no flowers in it Harmony. However, you could warm the cream and steep your lavender flowers in it for a while before whipping. I’ve done this before to good effect.
Alicia Foodycat
25th August 2014 at 9:31 amBeautiful! As I understand it, a frozen parfait always has that sabayon, eggwhite and whipped cream base, so it is quite smooth when frozen.
Choclette
25th August 2014 at 10:23 amAhh, maybe this isn’t the classic then Alicia as it was the egg yolks used, not the egg whites. I did beat them for quite a long time though.
Karen S Booth
25th August 2014 at 9:57 amI have still got to make my recipe yet……but, in the meantime, I will salivate over this beautiful frozen dessert recipe as it has LAVENDER in it, which I love! Karen
Choclette
25th August 2014 at 10:25 amIndeed I would hope you do love lavender Karen!!! I’ve never made a parfait before – thank goodness for RR.
belleau kitchen
25th August 2014 at 11:14 amgood lord, chocolate, cognac, lavender… I don’t deserve this my dear. They are so lovely. I don’t think i’ve ever made a parfait before so I must add this to my list. I love the way you select your random recipes too!… thanks so much for being such a wonderful friend to random recipes xx
Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry
25th August 2014 at 11:43 amI really do like the idea of lavender and chocolate together so this is a great one to try in the future. Will stumble this too.
Johanna GGG
25th August 2014 at 12:22 pmI think I would call this an ice cream but I have looked up the trusty old wikipedia which tells me my idea of parfait is American and this one is french – so this is a good learning exercise for me – sounds like a great way to use the lavender chocolate
Kate@whatkatebaked
25th August 2014 at 1:03 pmI know exactly what you mean about lavender chocolate tasting a bit soapy (or, to evoke a childhood memory, parma violets!). This sounds a really decadent and delicious recipe, a great entry into the challenge and you’ve inspired me to dig out my copy of Green & Blacks!
Caroline Taylor
25th August 2014 at 1:21 pmThis is a brilliant recipe, these parfaits sound SO good! I haven’t taken part in random recipes for a while, you’ve reminded me!
Janine
25th August 2014 at 1:49 pmI’m not entirely sure what the difference between a parfait or an ice cream is either, but whatever you’ve made it looks pretty good! Sounds delightfully decadent. Thanks for entering Baking With Spirit!
Fiona @ London-Unattached
25th August 2014 at 2:03 pmoh now that looks like a variation on the classic chocolate mousse, frozen and laced with lavender sugar! I might just have a go!
Janice Pattie
25th August 2014 at 2:10 pmHow fragrant that parfait must be with the lavender and chocolate. Lovely idea.
Hayley @ Hay In A Day
25th August 2014 at 2:56 pmWow I’ve never tried chocolate and lavender before. I bet these are super tasty! #CookBlogShare
Angie Schneider
25th August 2014 at 4:19 pmI thought a parfait is layered food served in a glass…never mind the name. I love the add of lavender in it and the texture is perfectly smooth and creamy.
Katie
25th August 2014 at 6:24 pmThese look delicious! Love how dense and smooth it looks. The lavender sounds a lovely summery touch
Stuart Vettese
25th August 2014 at 7:29 pmI love the idea of this flavour concoction Choclette.
kellie@foodtoglow
25th August 2014 at 7:38 pmelegant, seasonal decadence
Julie Bardoe
25th August 2014 at 8:10 pmI’ve never heard of a parfait before but it looks delicious! Good luck with the comp x
Michaela Kenkel
25th August 2014 at 11:53 pmLavender Chocolate looks DIVINE!! Makes my mouth water!
Gloria Baker
26th August 2014 at 12:02 amI love parfait! and these look delicious!!!
xo
Sandra Shaffer
26th August 2014 at 4:04 amLooks so creamy! What a delicious combination!
Cheri Savory Spoon
26th August 2014 at 4:39 pmWhat a lovely sounding dessert, chocolate, lavender and cognac. I bet my husband would any like this. Very impressive!
Aunt Bee
26th August 2014 at 6:22 pmThis chocolate lavender parfait looks absolutely heavenly!
Deena kakaya
27th August 2014 at 8:35 amChocolate and lavender! It’s morning and I am swooning already x
Lucy Parissi
30th August 2014 at 3:40 pmMmm I love parfait… not sure what the difference is except I think it is richer than your average ice cream. These look delicious – thanks for joining #CookBlogShare
lawstudentscookbook
31st August 2014 at 4:44 pmThis looks wonderful. The combination of lavender and chocolate sounds divine.