Lemon Parfait in Basil Tuile Cups

Summer's approaching.  Despite my best efforts to neglect it, the garden continues to flourish.  Next weekend when we are home, I will have to prune back the wayward thyme and rosemary bushes -- they have survived three seasons in my care and they have become surly, know-it-all juniors, lording it over the freshmen herbs that have joined their box.  The cilantro is frail and weak, initmidated by its aggressive neighbors.  The flat leaf and curly parsleys, planted last summer, have grown thick stalks and are propagating as fast as they can.  Perhaps the other herbs have been telling them about the crazy woman with shears who comes down and routinely hacks away at overgrown herbs.  They're really safe for the time being; I haven't had much need of parsely. 

The strawberries are attempting once again to escape their corner box.  Bright red Seascape strawberries have been plucked and savored.  The birds and ground rodents are avoiding the berries.  They know.  They've heard about the crazy man with the scope and BB gun.  The heirloom tomatos are showing lovely little buds soon to be ripe tomatos (I hope). I am so looking forward to a summer of Caprese salads -- and I am so excited by these heirloom tomatos; they are hard to buy where I live.  I miss visiting the Santa Monica Farmer's markets every Wednesday and Saturday.

The garden box with the basil is doing well.  It explodes with Genovese basil, a yearly staple. I keep meaning to plant other basils but I never get around to it.  No matter.  This basil serves my purposes.  Hubby and I talked about planting citrus trees and olive trees a few years ago.  It's just as well we haven't -- when and where would we tend to them?  But I think to myself -- oh, if I had a lemon tree, I could have fresh lemons for lemonade and zest all summer long.

And if I had zest, I could make more of my beloved lemon parfaits.  But I've already made the lemon-basil bombe repeatedly...what kind of variations on the theme are possible?  Maybe a parfait in a tuile cup, like the one I made for Greg's birthday -- but make it with lemon instead of Key limes.  And if I don't put the basil in the mousse, where should it go?  Why not the tuile cup?  Surely that's possible?

Yes, yes...I think I shall go to the garden and pluck some basil and to the market to pick up some lovely lemons. 

Dessert is in order.

Pâte à Bombe

(Adapted from Gordon Ramsay's recipe)

3/4 cup sugar
4 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 T water
6 egg yolks

Bring sugar, lemon juice and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Insert a candy thermometer into the pan. Bring another pot of water to boil.

Beat eggs until to the ribbon stage (they will be thick and pale in color, and fall in a heavy "ribbon" when you lift the beaters) in a large glass bowl, about 10 minutes. When the syrup hits 250 degrees F, carefully pour the syrup down the sides of the bowl, beating on high speed. Make sure not to pour the hot syrup on the beaters as it could splash. The mixture will double in volume and airy after continuous beating for about 7 minutes. Place the bowl over the hot water and continue beating about 3 minutes until the mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and let the pâte cool.  This makes about 2 cups of pâte à Bombe

Lemon Mousse Parfait

1 cup Pâte à Bombe
1 cup heavy cream
1 t lemon zest

Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the zest and whip an additional minute. Don't overbeat the cream; you want as much volume in the whipped cream as possible.

Fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the pâte to lighten the egg-syrup mixture.  Fold in remaining cream and mix well.

Chill for at least 3 hours.  Or freeze overnight for a frozen  parfait.  Spoon into the basil tuile cups.

Basil Tuile Cup

8 T unsalted butter (1 stick)
4 large egg whites
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 T finely chopped fresh basil
1/2 cups all purpose flour

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Sift the flour and sugar together. In a separate bowl, beat the butter until smooth.  Add the dry ingredients and mix together. Slowly add the egg whites, making sure each egg white is fully incorporated before adding more.  Fold in the basil.  Do not overmix.

Using an offset spatula, spread a thin layer of batter into a circle on a cookie sheet lined with a Silpat mat or parchment paper. Bake in the oven for 7 minutes, or until cookies are firm and slightly brown around the edges. Remove from the tray and drape the warm cookie over an upended custard cup, holding the shape in place with your hand. It will cool and harden quickly.

Comments

[Tanvi]

I love that little addition of basil to your tuiles- unexpected but a perfect flavor pairing with lemon.

[Gabriella True]

Are you kidding me!! That looks ridiculously delicious. I just had supper and now I am insanely hungry. DROOL.

Oh and I really loved your musings on your herbs. Sounds perfect to me. My thyme shrivelled and died but my rosemary is close to becoming three bushes.

[linda]

Looks and sounds delicious! Does the basil change a lot in taste because of the baking?

[cath]

Tanvi -- I just love lemon and basil together!

Gabriella -- the rosemary bushes are pretty hearty, aren't they? This was really yummy. We sort of wolfed it down quickly - -the parfait was frozen and the tuile was nice and crisp -- like having an ice cream cup!

Linda, the basil didn't change a lot -- mostly, it was the crunch of the tuile with an occasional taste of basil.

[Ivonne]

Perchance would we be able to hire the services of the crazy man with the scope and the BB gun? The birds and rodents in our neck of the woods are far too insolent and think they own everything in the garden. Someone must make them pay!

[cath]

I will check with the crazy man. Have you been attacked by a bunny yet? It's fun.

[Geneve]

What beautiful presence this dessert has! I may have to borrow this recipe when I entertain my fellow "foodie" friends - I'm always trying to impress them.
Your garden sounds so lovely - I long for one of my own - my little balcony just doesn't get enough direct sunlight...
For now I'll have to rely on the Santa Monica Farmer's market for my herbs and such - Wednesdays are my favorite ;)!

[cath]

Geneve -- oh Wednesdays were my favorites too when I lived there! Let me know if you have any questions about the recipe!

[Danielle]

This looks so good! I love basil in desserts. And while I've never worked with pâte à bombe, now I want to riff off it terribly. Thanks for the inspiration and the lovely photography.

[beastmomma]

Has anyone seen the Wallace and Gromit movie? Your garden seems like it could have been part of the vegetable competition. If you have not seen it, just pretend that I said something cool and clever in place of that question.

Also, do you think that your herbs can tell which is your favorite? Maybe there is some sibling rivalry going on.

[rowena]

Very cool and refreshing dessert... and would certainly hit the spot in this unbearable heat that we're experiencing in the islands. I liked reading about the crazy woman and the crazy man. ;-) Now I don't feel too bad about threatening the surinam cherry tree if it should ever decide to stop bearing fruit!

On a different note, you haven't had cherries in 26 years??!!! Wow!!

[Gabriella True]

Yes, I agree, I love a crisp cookie with ice cream. I guess that is why the ice cream cone has been so popular for so long. I need to research the history of the ice cream cone at some point.

[cath]

Hi Danielle! Yes, I've seen and I LOVE the movie. I wish the garden would be have as fruitful as some of the gardens in the movie -- right now it's more like a little jungle! Hard to say which I love more...lemon or basil. :-)

Rowena, I think the humidity here is what drove me to a frozen dessert! Yeah, I haven't eaten cherries in 26 years. My husband is horrified. I'll try this year. I promise.

Gabriella -- when you find out, let me know about the cones, won't you?

[Nicky]

'Bookmarked your tuile recipe right away - they look so perfectly shaped, I have to try them! Since I already discovered my love for basil desserts (like basil-lime sorbet), I'm pretty positive, that I will love them!

[mindy toomay]

This looks like a perfect dessert and I agree the basil is a wonderful addition. Lemon thyme would also work nicely, yes?

http://mindycooks.blogspot.com

[Ruth]

That's the most delightful looking dessert I've seen in a long time.

Thanks for sharing.

[cath]

Nicky, let me know when you try it! I love lemon-basil combinations!

Mindy -- I haven't tried lemon thyme but I think that sounds fabulous! I'll put that together for the next time.

Ruth, thanks!

[Ken Sloan]

Those little cups are wonderful! I've never really seen anything like that before :)

[Dave Kaufman]

Hello there -- this looks like a lovely recipe -- I'm curious though about your original version, where the basil is mixed into the mousse -- could you enlighten me as to how much basil, how you recommend processing it, and when it gets added?

Do you think it would be too much basil to serve the lemon-basil mousse in a basil tuile cup? I'm trying to make this in a couple of days time, so if you have a chance to respond i'd be grateful!!

[Nancy]

Is this recipe for 4 servings??? I'm making it for this weekend dinner party..Help,thank you. It is a wow!! dessert. I still have fresh basil. Want to try it.

[cath]

Hi Nancy not sure if you got my email but this recipe made six moderate sized portions. I'm pretty sure you can also make four big servings! :-)

[Sylvia]

These have to be one of the cutest most delicious things I have seen in a while. I love lemon parfaits and this has just a beautiful touch.. Can't wait to try it for a dinner party. Kudos.