Bean

Over The Rainbow Thai Tri- Colored Parfait

by:
March  5, 2012
5
1 Ratings
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

Maybe because I was a professional sweets chef for 30 years, but I really dislike cloyingly sweet desserts. And I have become very intrigued by vegetal savory- tinged sweets. So I took my original Taro Smoothie recipe and added to it for a colorful and refreshing ribboned parfait/smoothie. No ice cream maker necessary; no freezing and whisking and refreezing. Just use your blender, ice cubes, sweetener, milk and 3 savory elements. Makes for a most satisfying and cool ending to a summer dinner!

And a glass of any single flavor would make a good mid-day refresher. —LeBec Fin

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Adzuki Bean and Green Tea Parfait Layers (bottom and middle layers)
  • 8 ice cubes( 2"x 1.5")
  • 1 cup whole milk, heavy cream, or any combination
  • 1 cup sweetened adzuki (red bean) paste ('anh' in Japanese;refrigerated pack or can)
  • 8 ice cubes (same size as above)
  • 1 cup whole milk, heavy cream, or any combination
  • 4 teaspoons instant green tea powder
  • 4-6 tablespoons maple syrup or ginger syrup or sugar syrup
  • Taro Parfait- top layer
  • 8 ice cubes (same size as above)
  • 1 whole milk, heavy cream, or any combination
  • 1/4 cup taro powder (Tea Zone brand)
  • 1/4- 1/3 cups maple syrup
Directions
  1. Adzuki Bean and Green Tea Parfait Layers (bottom and middle layers)
  2. In a high powered blender, place the ice cubes and grind them finely, in a few bouts. Thoroughly combine milk and adzuki paste. Add to ice and puree a few more bouts, til combined. Pour into 4 tall glasses or glass Irish coffee mugs. Level top of mixture. The adzuki bean layer is the bottom layer because it is the heaviest of all the flavors.
  3. In a high powered blender, place the ice cubes and grind them finely, in a few bouts. Add 2 Tablespoons milk to green tea powder and, with your finger, smoosh it to make a smooth paste.Add remaining 6 Tablespoons milk; stir sweetener into it and add to blender; buzz a few more bouts, til combined. Taste; add more tea powder or sweetener as needed. Pour onto adzuki mixture; level.
  1. Taro Parfait- top layer
  2. In a high powered blender, place the ice cubes and grind them finely, in a few bouts. Stir together milk, taro powder and sweetener and add to blender. Buzz a few bouts, til combined. Taste; add more taro powder or sweetener as needed. Pour onto green tea mixture; level the top. Garnish and serve immediately.
  3. Note: The smoothie parfait is very cold, so remember, don't consume too quickly or you may get one of those wopping (temporary) headaches. Sweetened adzuki paste, green tea powder and sweetened black sesame powder , coconut cream powder and Thai tea are available in many Asian markets (Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Thai).
  4. Other Flavor Options:You could make a coconut layer by using the basic ice- milk recipe (adding 1/8 cup coconut cream powder to the milk,using the same slurry method as with the green tea powder) and 3-4Tablespoons ginger or sugar syrup.
  5. You could make a coconut -green tea layer instead of a green tea layer by adding 2 teaspoons green tea powder to the 1/8 cup coconut cream powder when making the slurry and adding a total of 3 -4Tablespoons ginger or sugar syrup.
  6. You could have a sweetened Black Sesame layer instead of the green tea layer. Just replace the tea powder with 1/4 cup sweetened black sesame seed powder and omit syrup.
  7. You could make a Thai Tea layer by using 8 cubes of ice, 1 cup thai tea cream (made by steeping 4 teaspoons Thai tea leaves in 1cup heavy cream brought just to boil and turned off, covered and steeped a few hours and strained) and 2-4 Tablespoons ginger or sugar syrup.
  8. You could make a ginger layer by using 8 cubes of ice, 1 cup ginger tea cream (made by adding 4 teaspoons Jamaican instant granulated Ginger Tea to 1cup heavy cream brought just to boil and turned off, and cooled).
  9. Optional Ginger syrup: Boil 1 cup water, add 2 cups white sugar, stirring til dissolved. Add 1/2 cup unpeeled ginger root, sliced into thin rounds and piles smashed with the side of a cleaver or heavy knife - to release juices. Simmer 20 minutes. Cool. Leave ginger in syrup to continue to impart flavor.
  10. Sugar syrup: Boil 1 cup water, add 2 cups white sugar, stirring til dissolved. Simmer 20 minutes. Cool.
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LeBec Fin
My eating passions are Japanese, Indian, Mexican; with Italian and French following close behind. Turkish/Arabic/Mediterranean cuisines are my latest culinary fascination. My desert island ABCs are actually 4 Cs: citrus, cumin, cilantro, cardamom, and GARLIC! I am so excited by the level of sophistication that I see on Food52 and hope to contribute recipes that will inspire you like yours do me. I would like to ask a favor of all who do try a recipe of mine > Would you plse review it and tell me truthfully how it worked for you and/or how you think it would be better? I know many times we feel that we don't want to hurt someone's feelings, but. i really do want your honest feedback because it can only help me improve the recipe.Thanks so much.

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