Parfait Day: A 5-Minute Parfait Recipe That Will Get You Hooked On French Flavors

What is your sweet tooth? Does he like dark, gooey, chocolate? Do you like the fresh and fruity palette of the cleansing finish? Does he like subtle and classic old world flavors? Love a little bit of everything? Well, there’s a parfait for every mood! On November 25, the official holiday of a wonderful and exquisite parfait is celebrated.

Imagine boiling cream, eggs, sugar and syrup, putting your beautiful custard and meringue crossover into the freezer, taking it out only to spread your favorite toppings and flavors, and descending into dessert heaven. Whoever christened the parfait—which is French for “perfect”—got it spot on. At its core, the traditional notes of the 18th century French dessert included a heavy slab of coffee combined with a soft but firm swirl of ice cream. The first known recipe for this dates back to 1867, in Jules Gouffet’s Le Livre de cuisine. Parfait’s intercontinental journey began in the same decade when, in 1869, the cookbook was translated into the Royal Cookbook. Between then and now, the parfait has been the subject of many kitchen experiments, enough to make the American parfait as different as chalk and cheese from its original French counterpart.

A traditional parfait recipe will require a lot of patience and a certain sensory awareness that only comes with time. But this recipe we have for you will only take 5 minutes. Literally. Powered by Bake with Zoha, feel free to customize the flavors to your liking.

Ingredients: Whole yogurt – 3/4 cup, chilled heavy cream – 1/4 cup, crushed vanilla cookies or wafers – 100 g, vanilla essence – 1/2 tsp.

Method: Using an electric mixer, beat together all the ingredients except the waffles. Take a tall glass and alternate both layers. Feel free to add fruit, granola, chocolate and/or berries in separate layers. Trust us, you won’t be able to get enough of it!

Happy Parfait Day!