Why it works: Sugar and coffee are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,344 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Parfait Au Cafe
Ingredients
Directions
Make the mixture
In a clean pan, combine the egg yolks, caster sugar, and cold coffee.
Whip the mixture until well combined and slightly thickened.
Freeze and serve
Pour the mixture into a mold.
Freeze for 3 to 4 hours, either buried in ice and salt or in an ice cave.
Carefully turn out the parfait when ready to serve.
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.
-
Sugar + coffeetop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,344 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Egg + coffeetop 29% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,239 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Emulsify and thicken the mixture, giving the parfait a rich, smooth body.
- Caster sugar
- Sweetens the parfait and lowers the freezing point, keeping it softer and scoopable.
- Strong cold coffee
- Provides the main coffee flavour and a little liquid for the frozen texture.
The step that matters
Whip the mixture until slightly thickened. Whisking the yolks with sugar and coffee traps air and thickens the base. Stopping at the right point keeps it light and stable, so it freezes smooth rather than dense or separated.
“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.
You might also like
Coffee Ice Cream91 recipes
Coffee Custard27 recipes
Coffee Cake21 recipes
Coffee Bavarian Cream14 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.