What exactly is "PARFAIT CREAM" - its uses and standard recipe please

If memory serves me correctly it is a form of Crem' Bavaria or bavarian cream. Sugar, gelatin, heavy cream and or sour cream and flavoring. There was a dessert served years ago called a Raspberry Fool which was this with crushed and whole raspberries blended in . It was popular for a while. Housewives sometime make it with cool whip but far to sweet and artificu=ial tasting. Kids love it though.  Some people use it as a base for a concoction called Ambrosia. Yes it was served in a glass parfait or flute glass. Over the years someone decided just to pack ice cream in parfait glasses, it was easier for them, and it could be packed and put in freezer where bavarian cream would break and throw water.when frozen.

Quote:

Originally Posted by perfection 

...Is there some connection betweeen parfaits and parfait cream? ...

 

I would guess it's the same. The french "parfait" is known in Italy as "semifreddo". Maybe you know already this is an icecream preparation that has a big advantage, even for homecooks; the preparation doesn't have to be "turned" in an icecreammaker before freezing it.

It's a base of eggyolk and sugar beaten in a ruban, beaten eggwhites added then whipped cream added. Simply put in a mold and freeze. You can flavor it with all kinds of things, indeed raspberries are quite popular but also dried fruits, nuts coffee extract etc..

Sometimes a fruitmixture is used (raspberries again very popular) instead of the eggyolk/sugar custard. In that case there will always be some gelatine in the fruitmixture before adding eggyolk and whipped cream. A few tbsp of fruitmixture is heated first, then the gelatine added and this goes back in the entire fruitmixture. It doesn't have to be frozen. In this case it's called a "bavarois" as ChefEd already mentions in the english translation bavarian cream.

"Parfait cream" is a loose and non-standard term which can mean several things.  Among others -- including Chris's use -- it can mean a mixture of cream cheese or whipped cream and flavored gelatin; it can mean the "cream filling" used between layers of translucent gelatin served as a layered dessert in a parfait glass; it could be marshmallow fluff as well as what -- if molded -- would be a bavarois; it can mean pretty much anything, depending.

Haute cuisine and church pot lucks don't usually have much in common.  Context is everything.  Where did you run across the term?  What are you trying to do?

BDL