Vanilla Bean and Lemon Verbena Parfait with Summer Raspberries
- 1 vanilla bean (Tahitian or bourbon) (see Notes)
- 3 cups cream
- 1 tablespoon lemon verbena tea or 4 fresh lemon verbena leaves
- 8 egg yolks
- 2/3 cup sugar
- Pinch of salt
- Strainer
- 6 to 8 (4- to 6-ounce) decorative parfait dishes
- Candy thermometer
- Stand mixer
- 1 hour ahead of time: Infuse the cream:
- Slice open the vanilla bean and scrape out all the tiny seeds.
- Set the seeds aside on a small plate.
- In a saucepan, combine the cream, vanilla pod, and lemon verbena and cook over medium-high heat.
- When the cream is almost at a boil, remove from the heat, cover, and let the cream infuse for 20 minutes.
- Pass the hot cream through a strainer and into a bowl.
- Discard the solids.
- Transfer to the refrigerator and chill until the cream is cold enough to whip, at least 1 hour.
- Whip and cook the yolks:
- Place the egg yolks and 2 tablespoons sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk at medium speed.
- In a small saucepan, combine the remaining sugar, 3 tablespoons water, and the reserved vanilla bean seeds.
- Cook the syrup over medium-high heat until it reaches 248F.
- With the mixer set on medium-high speed, quickly pour the hot syrup into the egg yolks in a continuous stream.
- Add the salt.
- Whisk the yolks until they become pale, have tripled in volume, and are just slightly warm.
- Whip the infused cream:
- Chill a stain less-steel mixing bowl in the refrigerator.
- Pour the cold infused cream into the bowl and whisk the cream until soft peaks form.
- Finish the parfait:
- Scrape the whipped cream into the yolks.
- Place a spatula in the center of the bowl, scrape the bottom, and bring the bottom over the top.
- Rotate the bowl 45 degrees and continue folding until the mixture is well combined.
- Pour into the parfait dishes and freeze for at least 4 hours.
- Serving Suggestions:
- This parfait can be served with any fruit in season.
- Gently toss the berries with a bit of sugar and let them macerate 10 minutes before serving.
- For a crunchy accompaniment, sprinkle some nut brittle over the parfait or serve a crispy wafer on the side.
- Variations:
- This parfait can be flavored with any herb or spice.
- Just steep the herb or spice of choice in the hot cream.
- Fig Leaf Parfait: Replace the lemon verbena with 2 chopped fig tree leaves.
- Black Mint Parfait: Replace the lemon verbena with 1 1/2 ounces black mint leaves
- Black Walnut or Hazelnut Parfait: Replace the lemon verbena with 4 ounces ( 3/4 cup) ground black walnuts or blanched hazelnuts.
- Do not strain and remove the nuts.
- Allow them to stay in the cream while you whip it.
vanilla bean, cream, lemon verbena tea, egg yolks, sugar, salt, thermometer
Taken from www.cookstr.com/recipes/vanilla-bean-and-lemon-verbena-parfait-with-summer-raspberries (may not work)