Categories Pastry Chef Articles
Keys to creating colorful, high-impact parfaits, by Yusuke Aoki
Parfait to pastry chefs in Japan doesn’t mean just a verrine; it’s comparable to a plated dessert for which customers would pay more. Pastry chefs make efforts to create more colorful, more luxurious, and higher in a glass for more interest.
In our English-language ice cream magazine, so cool.. magazine 3, we discover the tricks parfait specialist Yusuke Aoki uses to surprise his customers in Lab Yusuke Aoki.
Corresponsal: Reiko Matsuno / Photos: Haruko Amagata
Tips for parfait-making
“I wanted customers to enjoy my Parfait in two stages, so after layering fruits, cream, ice cream, and
other ingredients in a glass, I place a disc-shaped chocolate or sablé on top of the glass and put an ice cream-filled chocolate or meringue on top. The lower part and the upper part are relevant to flavors. I serve the Parfait with a small plate for the upper part, and customers would feel as if they are enjoying two different desserts.”
Seasonal fruits
Using seasonal fruits, finding the best ingredients to enhance the taste and flavor of the fruit, and adding different textures.
A prime example is the Mont Blanc parfait, made with seasonal Japanese chestnuts, is one of the most popular menu items in autumn. “Many restaurants serve Mont Blanc Parfait made of almost only chestnut, which customers would be tired of before finishing.”
An eye-catching presentation
Presentation is also crucial. In the case of the Shine Muscat grape parfait, strawberries, figs, and Muscat grapes look beautiful when sliced. The chef cuts them in half and arranges them against the inner wall of the glass to showcase their cross-sections and capture the eye.
Multiple layers
Yusuke usually pairs the main fruit with two kinds of ice cream, jelly, crumbles, and cream. “Multiple layers of ingredients in a glass have a certain visual effect, which I think has a greater impact than plated desserts.”
Furthermore, “if you use rice flour instead of cake flour in crumbles, the Parfait turns gluten-free. It’s not easy to make gluten-free cakes, but it’s not the case for Parfait.”
Choice wine glass with a long stem and wide rim
A wine glass with a longer stem and wider rim is ideal for my parfait-making because the divider
made of sablé or chocolate sits on the rim well, and can be a stable foundation for the upper part. I always talk to participants of the master class, “Parfait can be a key item in your restaurants. Depending on your choice of the glass and decorating techniques, it can be priced higher, even if you don’t use expensive ingredients.”
I serve the Parfait with a small plate for the upper part, and customers would feel as if they are enjoying two different desserts.
Discover these creations by Yusuke Aoki in so cool.. magazine 3
