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Dessert

Parfait of Chocolate

A chilled chocolate custard dessert with whipped cream and vanilla syrup.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
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Why it works: Milk and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓

Parfait of Chocolate

Ingredients

Directions

Make the custard

  1. Mix boiling milk with chocolate and sweeten to taste.

  2. Let the mixture cool.

  3. In an enamelled pan, break the yolks of 10 eggs and strain the chocolate into the eggs, stirring over low heat until thickened.

  4. Mix in dissolved gelatine, strain, and whip while warm.

  5. Let the mixture cool.

Freeze and serve

  1. Set a mould in ice and pour the cooled custard into it.

  2. Freeze using a spatula.

  3. When nearly frozen, add ⅓ cup very cold vanilla‑flavored syrup and continue to freeze.

  4. Fold in 1 pint whipped cream, close the mould, and bury it in ice for 2 hours.

  5. Turn the parfait onto a napkin and serve.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together19,187 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

  2. Chocolate + vanillatop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together10,020 recipes

    Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

  3. Chocolate + creamtop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,466 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).

  4. Cream + syruptop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,964 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  5. Vanilla + syruptop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together1,855 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Egg yolks
Thicken the custard and add richness and structure as they set gently over low heat.
Milk
Forms the liquid base of the custard that the yolks thicken.
Chocolate
Provides the main flavour and colours the custard.
Gelatine
Helps the frozen parfait hold its shape and firm texture.
Whipped cream
Adds lightness and a smooth, airy texture to the frozen custard.

The step that matters

Cooking the yolks over low heat. Egg yolks thicken as their proteins set, but if they get too hot they scramble and turn grainy. Gentle low heat and constant stirring keep the custard smooth.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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