A velvety smooth no-churn frozen dessert recipe lightly flavoured with lavender. Chocolate lavender parfait melts beautifully on the tongue, rather than rolling off it. But the delicious and sophisticated flavours linger. It’s ice-cream, sort of, but more refined.
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 lavender chocolate parfait it is. I have to say, I don’t regret it.
What is a Parfait?
Well actually there are two types of parfait. A French frozen dessert and then an American layered dessert that’s derived from the French one. They’re so called because parfait is the French word for perfect.
The first is a type of ice-cream made from eggs, hot sugar syrup and cream. It usually has some sort of flavouring and often a measure or two of liqueur. This is the classic French parfait. My chocolate lavender parfait is a prime example.
The other type is a layered dessert, usually served in a glass. Layers may consist of cream, ice-cream, yoghurt, fruit, nuts, chocolate, coffee or granola. I have two of these on Tin and Thyme. Roasted plum parfait with lemon curd is a great make ahead dessert. Whilst my raspberry granola parfait makes breakfast time a little more glamorous.
If the layered parfait includes ice-cream, however, it’s more likely to be termed an ice-cream sundae here in the UK. These recipes for chocolate sundae royale and chocolate peanut butter ice cream sundae are two examples of this.
Chocolate Lavender Parfait
Technically the difference between a parfait and ice-cream is a little vague. I reckon a parfait is just a type of ice-cream. Whatever it is or isn’t, it’s a very good way of making a no-churn frozen dessert.
Now it just so happens that I had a seventy gram bar of dark lavender chocolate lying about – as you do! I found it too strong and soapy to eat on its own, so was awaiting just such an occasion as this. Lavender chocolate works wonderfully well when incorporated into recipes. Thus it was that this perfect parfait recipe is made with just seventy grams of chocolate. Turns out, that’s just the right amount for four people.
It’s really quite easy to make and there’s no need for an ice-cream maker. You make a hot syrup with sugar and water, melt the chocolate into it then beat it with egg yolks to make a sort of chocolatey custard. Then mix it with whipped cream and cognac and freeze. Job done. No churning required.
The parfait is velvety smooth and not a shard of ice crystal to 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 gives a welcome hint of sophistication and brings 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.
No Lavender Chocolate?
If you don’t like the idea of lavender as a flavouring, or you can’t get hold of lavender chocolate, just use ordinary plain chocolate instead. Or try a different flavour, coffee and orange immediately spring to mind.
Recipes To Use Up Egg Whites
This recipe does leave rather a lot of egg whites leftover. However, I always see this as a good opportunity to make something else. That something else is usually friands as they’re quick to make and delicious to boot. But there are other options.
Here are all the recipes on Tin and Thyme that use only egg whites. And here are a couple of my favourites.
Other Lavender Recipes You Might Like
- Chocolate lavender cake with chocolate yoghurt icing
- Lavender chocolate goose egg cake
- Lavender honey cake with lemon & honey cream cheese icing
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this lavender chocolate parfait, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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If you’d like more frozen dessert recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.
Choclette x
Chocolate Lavender Parfait. PIN IT.
Chocolate Lavender Parfait – The Recipe
Chocolate Lavender Parfait
Ingredients
- 150 g double cream
- 75 ml water
- 60 g golden caster sugar
- 70 g dark lavender chocolate – chopped (I used Seed & Bean 72%)
- 2 large eggs (yolks only)
- 2 tsp cognac
Instructions
- Whip the cream to soft peaks, either with an electric whisk or by hand, if you’re feeling strong.
- Warm the water in a small pan and dissolve the sugar in it.
- Notch up the heat and boil the syrup for two minutes, then turn the heat off.
- Add the chocolate and leave to melt.
- Meanwhile, separate the eggs, putting the yolks into a bowl and the whites into the fridge for some future use.
- Beat the egg yolks with a wooden spoon or hand held beaters, then slowly pour in the chocolate syrup beating all the while. Carry on beating until the mixture is almost cool.
- Beat in the cognac, then fold in the whipped cream.
- Divide the mixture between four ramekin dishes and place in the freezer. Leave for at least two hours.
Notes
Nutrition
Sharing
I’m entering this chocolate parfait into random ice cream. This is a 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.
This looks wonderful. The combination of lavender and chocolate sounds divine.
Mmm 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
Chocolate and lavender! It’s morning and I am swooning already x
This chocolate lavender parfait looks absolutely heavenly!
What a lovely sounding dessert, chocolate, lavender and cognac. I bet my husband would any like this. Very impressive!
Looks so creamy! What a delicious combination!
I love parfait! and these look delicious!!!
xo
Lavender Chocolate looks DIVINE!! Makes my mouth water!
I’ve never heard of a parfait before but it looks delicious! Good luck with the comp x
elegant, seasonal decadence
I love the idea of this flavour concoction Choclette.
These look delicious! Love how dense and smooth it looks. The lavender sounds a lovely summery touch
I 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.
Wow I’ve never tried chocolate and lavender before. I bet these are super tasty! #CookBlogShare
How fragrant that parfait must be with the lavender and chocolate. Lovely idea.
oh now that looks like a variation on the classic chocolate mousse, frozen and laced with lavender sugar! I might just have a go!
I’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!
This is a brilliant recipe, these parfaits sound SO good! I haven’t taken part in random recipes for a while, you’ve reminded me!
I 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!
I 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
I 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.
good 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
I 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
Indeed I would hope you do love lavender Karen!!! I’ve never made a parfait before – thank goodness for RR.
Beautiful! As I understand it, a frozen parfait always has that sabayon, eggwhite and whipped cream base, so it is quite smooth when frozen.
Ahh, 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.
The 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 🙂
No 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.
Ooh – that texture looks amazing!
It was super smooth and velvety CC.
Mmmm, this looks so smooth and lovely. I love how you’ve put it in little ramekins too.
Thanks Laura – it’s addictive stuff and I’m always pleased when I have an excuse to use these ramekins 🙂
Now 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
Thank 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.