Parfait is such a wonderful-sounding word - so soft. It's French for perfect and this dessert lives up to the name! Made in a loaf tin, it's easy to serve. Garnish with finely sliced lemons and oranges cooked gently in a little sugar syrup until the rind is tender.

Ingredients

Lemon Parfait

• ¼ cup lemon Vodka (or use vodka and add the grated rind of another lemon)
• 1 tblsp gelatine
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 2 tblsp water
• 2 lemons (grated rind)
• 4 egg yolks
• 1½ cups cream

Orange Parfait

• 1 tablespoon gelatine
• ¼ cup Cointreau or Grand Marnier
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons water
• 4 egg holks
• grated rind 2 oranges
• 1½ cups cream

Method

Lemon parfait

1. Sprinkle the gelatine over the lemon vodka and allow to swell. Dissolve gelatine by standing over hot water. Set aside.
2. Put the sugar, lemon juice and water into a saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Stop stirring and bring to the boil. Continue boiling until the syrup reaches soft ball stage (see Cook's Tips). Remove from the heat.
3. In a clean bowl quickly beat the egg yolks until thick. Then very, very slowly and with great care, gradually beat in the syrup allowing it to fall on the beaters in the egg yolks so that there is no chance of scrambling the eggs or having stick covered beaters.
4. Beat in the dissolved gelatine and lemon rind and allow the mixture to cool.
5. Whip the cream to form soft peaks then fold into the cooled custard mixture. Pour into a 20 cm x 10cm paper-lined deep loaf tin. Freeze for 2 hours and then pour the orange parfait on top. Freeze for 8 hours or overnight. Serve in thick slices.

Orange parfait

1. Repeat instructions 1 - 6 as for the Lemon Parfait, replacing lemon rind and juice with orange rind and juice and the Lemon Vodka with Cointreau or Grand Marnier.

Cooks Tips

- To make an orange parfait, replace the lemon rind and juice with orange rind and juice and replace the Lemon Vodka with Cointreau or Grand Marnier.