Soda
Fountain Chocolate Parfait
Tips:This
ultra-rich parfait tastes even better than it looks, which is
really saying something. It's made with chocolate sorbet, and
good chocolate sorbets are made by Ben & Jerry's, Haagen-Dazs,
and Sharon's (and other companies, too, no doubt). You'll need
two parfait glasses, each of eleven-ounce capacity. Mine are
the classic, short-stemmed, "tulip" shape, narrow at the bottom
and wide on top, and I got them at Crate & Barrel. You'll need
a hand-held electric mixer and a microwave (to soften the sorbet
quickly--it can be softened by leaving it in the refrigerator
for a while, but I haven't tried this so I can't give you a
time estimate).
- Good-quality
chocolate syrup
- 1 c. heavy cream
- 3 Tbsp. confectioners'
sugar
- 1 c. (half of
one pint) good-quality chocolate sorbet
- Optional garnishes:
mint leaf, grated semisweet chocolate, or chocolate sprinkles
Chill a medium
bowl and beater(s) (I use a hand-held electric mixer for this)
for at least 20 minutes.
Place a small
amount of chocolate syrup (about one to two tablespoons--it's
not necessary to measure it) into the bottom of each parfait glass.
In chilled bowl with chilled beater(s), beat cream at high speed
just until traces of beater marks show in it. Add sugar; beat
in on low speed. Increase speed to high and beat to just under
stiff peak stage.
Now, soften the
sorbet. Remove container lid and plastic liner (if any). Microwave
at medium (50%) power for 10-20 seconds if you're beginning with
a full pint (your timing may vary; you want the sorbet softened
but not melted). Working quickly, place about 1 cup of the softened
sorbet into a clean medium bowl (I never measure the sorbet; I
just cut vertically down through the pint with a large spoon and
use about half). Combine softened sorbet with about one-quarter
of the whipped cream. By hand, beat rapidly to mix well, breaking
up any sorbet chunks as you go along (a few small chunks are OK,
but the mixture should be mostly smooth). Divide evenly among
parfait glasses.
Still working
quickly, put another tablespoon or two of chocolate syrup on top
of the sorbet mixture in each glass. Re-beat the cream at high
speed just to stiff peaks, then top each parfait with an equal
amount of the whipped cream.
Garnish, if desired.
Serve immediately, preferably with long-handled spoons.
2 servings
©
Stephanie Zonis provides the above information to anyone, but
retains copyright on all text. This means that you may not: distribute
the text to others without the express written permission of Stephanie
Zonis; "mirror" or include this information on your
own server or documents without my permission; modify or re-use
the text on this system. You MAY: print copies of the information
for your own personal use; store the files on your own computer
for your personal use only; reference hypertext documents on this
server from your own documents.
