parfait

Definition

A French parfait (parfait glacé), an iced dessert made with egg yolks, sugar, cream, and flavouring (usually fruit), sometimes with the addition of a liqueur.

Etymology

From French parfait (“perfect”). Doublet of perfect, perfecto, and perfectus.

Example Sentences

• "Brad hesitated, peering at the grid of spun sugar that jutted from his loganberry parfait."
• "It was a parfait of puréed avocados, whipped cream, sugar and vanilla, which had been molded into a rectangle atop a peanut-butter crust and then bedecked with tiny wild strawberries. […] We were utterly transfixed, and we were quickly out of parfait."