Preparing Desserts

Unit 1: Patisserie/Pastry Chef

Lesson1: What is a Patissier/Pastry Chef?
Objectives
At the end of the session, you will be able to:
 Identify what a Patissier/Pastry chef is
 Determine the job responsibilities of Patissier/Pastry chef
 Determine the importance of a Patissier/Pastry chef

Introduction
Preparing desserts require skills that should be mastered in order to produce high quality products that the
customers would enjoy. Each kitchen staff is tasked to prepare specific types of dishes so that they may be
able to concentrate on creating appetizing dishes.

Pastry Chef
A pastry chef, also known as a pattisier, is a chef that is dedicated to creating desserts and baked goods.
They are in charge of the baking facet of the kitchen and restaurants. They work with a team of bakers to
prepare, cook, and decorate food. They must be organized and motivated to do the daily work.

The pastry chef may work alone or with a group of cooks and bakers to prepare, cook, and present food to
the customers. They must be motivated and organized to be able to prepare the finest desserts.

They not only prepare the desserts but also work with the head chef to pair breads and desserts, order
supplies, and hire staff. The pastry chef also creates recipes to offer a variety of dishes to the customers.
They do all of this together with maintaining records, ordering food, and enforcing food safety standards.

Lesson 2: Duties and Responsibilities

Objectives
At the end of the session, you will be able to:
 Determine the responsibilities of a Patisserie/Pastry chef
 Identify the role of the Patisserie/Pastry chef in the kitchen
 Determine the skills required to be a Patisserie/Pastry chef

Introduction
A Patisserie/Pastry chef must be knowledgeable and skilled when it comes to making desserts and
pastries. He/she must be able to work well in an environment that requires one to produce products of
quality. In this lesson, you will learn the duties and responsibilities of a Patisserie/Pastry chef.

Duties and Responsibilities of a Patissier/Pastry chef

The pastry chef has a long list of tasks and responsibilities. The working hours of a pastry chef are divided
between working in the kitchen, organizing, and educating kitchen staff and purchasing necessary
ingredients for future products.

The following tasks and responsibilities are the usual tasks given to a pastry chef:
 Create and prepare desserts in accordance with the existing menus;
 Create and bake breads that goes together with the different meals in restaurants;
 Decorate cakes and baked goods according to requirements;
 Plate desserts for serving;
 Pair recommended desserts with appropriate wines, cocktails, non-alcoholic drinks, etc.
 Create cheese plateaus to complement a meal;
 Creates baked goods for specific diets (gluten free, sugar free, diabetes-friendly, etc.);
 Inspect the quality of the ingredients and measure them for specific recipes;
 Talk to suppliers and choose the ingredients needed for desserts and other baked goods;
 Establish a budget for ingredient purchase;
 Ensure that the kitchen equipment is in good conditions and meets all requirements;
 Organize the kitchen staff and supervise while working;
 Train the kitchen staff to meet imposed standards;
 Hire necessary personnel so that the kitchen functions smoothly;
 Organizes and conducts tasting sessions for the waiting staff and for potential clients when the situation
requires it;
 Cleans the equipment and utensils and maintains the kitchen clean and in good order for proper
functioning.

Unit 2: Getting Ready for Work

Lesson 1: Occupational Safety and Hygiene

Lesson 2: Setting Up the Work Station

Objectives
At the end of the session, you will be able to:
 Properly prepare needed ingredients for set up
 Learn how to arrange ingredients for maximum efficiency in preparation of desserts
 Follow different considerations when it comes to preparing and handling ingredients

Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn how to properly set up your work station depending on the menu. You will learn
proper procedures in handling the ingredients used in preparing desserts to ensure efficiency in work and
having top quality ingredients.

Ingredients
It is used in the production of dessert to:
 Add sweetness and flavour
 Create tenderness and fineness of texture
 Give crust color
 Increase keeping qualities by retaining moisture
 Act as a creaming agent with fats and as foaming agent with eggs
 Provide food for yeast
 To preserve

Ingredients - Sugar
Classification of Refined Sugar
Refined sugars are classified by the size of the grains

 Caster Sugar
o It is finer than regular granulated sugar.
o It supports the quantities of fat and dissolves relatively quickly into doughs and batters.
o It is the premier sugar to use in producing quality desserts and pastries.

 Regular Granulated Sugar

o It is also known as table sugar or A1 and is the most commonly known sugar.
o It has a coarse grain. In production, the coarse grains leave undissolved grains, even after long mixing.
After baking these show up as dark spots on crusts, irregular texture and syrupy spots. Coarse sugars
are less refined and result in clearer syrup.

 Brown Sugar
o It contains 85 – 92 % sucrose and varying amounts of caramel, molasses and other impurities. Darker
grades contain more of these impurities. Brown sugar is regular cane sugar that has not been
completely refined.

 Icing Sugar
 o It is also known as confectioners‟ sugar is sugar ground to a fine powder.

 Soft Icing Mixture

o It is icing sugar mixed with a small amount of starch (3 %) to prevent caking. It is also available in a pure
form without this anti-caking starch.

 Invert Sugar
o It is a product of sugar refining. It is chemically processed heavy syrup where a sucrose solution is
heated with an acid.
o Invert sugar resists crystallisation, promoting smoothness in candies, icings and syrups. It also holds
moisture especially well, retaining freshness and moisture in products.

 Molasses
o It is concentrated sugar cane juice. It contains large amounts of sucrose and other sugars including
invert sugar. It also contains acids, moisture and other constituents that give it flavour and colour.
o Darker grades are stronger in flavour and contain less sugar than lighter grades. Molasses retains
moisture in baked goods, prolonging their freshness.

Ingredients - Sugar
 Corn Syrup
 It is a liquid sweetener consisting of water, a vegetable gum called dextrin and various sugars, primarily
dextrose, also called glucose.
 Corn syrup is made by converting cornstarch into simpler compounds through the use of enzymes.
 Corn syrup aids in retaining moisture and is used in some icings, sweets, and sugar boiling. It keeps
other sugars from recrystallising.
 It is added to marzipan to improve elasticity.
 It has a mild flavour and is not as sweet as sucrose

 Glucose Syrup
 It is a viscous colourless syrup (44˚ Baume).
 Glucose has a stabilising effect to help prevent re-crystallisation when sugar is boiled to high
temperatures, pulled, and blown sugar making the boiled sugar more elastic. It is also used in cakes and
biscuits. Glucose should not be stored at temperatures above 20ºC because it will change in colour.
Glucose can be replaced with light corn syrup.

 Honey
 It was the first sugar to be used by man. It is the nectar collected from bees and deposited in their
honeycomb. Nectar contains about 80% water and 20% sugar together with essential oils and aromatic
compounds that are responsible for the bouquet of honey, the flavour varying from the flowers from
which the nectar was gathered.
 The darker the colour of the honey the stronger its flavour; it is a natural sugar syrup consisting largely of
glucose, fructose and other compounds that give it is flavours. Flavour is the main reason for using
honey.
 Honey contains invert sugar which helps retain moisture in baked goods and gives a soft chewy texture
to cakes and cookies, and is baked at a lower temperature so the invert sugars can caramelise.
 Honey contains acid which enables it to be used with baking soda as a leavening.

Ingredients - Egg
Functions of Egg for Dessert Production
Thicken When heated egg coagulates and holds liquid in a suspension
Bind When wet the food items stick together. When cooked, the egg sets and keeps the food together
Glaze Beaten egg gives a shiny appearance
 Aerate When whipped the egg traps millions of tiny air cells within itself Air bubbles help to raise other
ingredients
Emulsify Yolks can bind together to un-mixable ingredients
Clarify Whites used to clarify stocks
Enrich Adds flavour and nutrition

Ingredients - Dairy Products

Dairy products are used extensively in the dessert section of the kitchen. They include milk, buttermilk,
cream, yoghurt, crème fraiche, mascarpone and butter.

Uses

 Milk
o It may form the foundation of many dishes irrespective if it is whole, skim or fat reduced, long life,
evaporated, condensed or even powdered.
o It is often used in cakes to thin the cake batter and create steam during the baking process, acting as a
raising agent.

 Buttermilk
o It produces very light, delicious results in scones, pancakes, pikelets muffins etc.
o Buttermilk has a fresh, slightly sharp, acid flavour and is used to counteract the bitter, soapy alkaline
flavour, bicarbonate of soda leaves in many baked goods

 Cream
o It is the fat component of milk and varies enormously in richness, texture, and lusciousness.

 Clotted cream
o It is the thickest cream is at 55% fat.

 Pure Cream
o It is at 48% fat.
o Pure cream and clotted cream may be served in dollop form accompanying berry fruits, scones etc.
These creams do not aerate when whipped.

 Thickened cream
o It is 35% fat content. This cream may be whipped to trap air because it contains a gelling agent,
„vegetable gum‟, gelatine has also been used but has been replaced to appeal to a broader market.
o Chilled thickened cream whips until it stands in peaks; there are soft peaks to fold into mousses,
bavarois, and firm peaks for piping rosettes of cream on to a gateau.
o The over whipping of cream will result in the product “splitting” (separation of the fat and water). Cream
with a high fat content is more susceptible to this occurring.
o Thickened cream needs to be kept chilled at 4ºC until required to be whipped. The warmer the cream,
the greater the possibility of it “splitting”.

 Reduced and light cream

o It ranges from 25% - 18% fat and it will not whip because there is insufficient fat to trap air bubbles
and thicken it.
o It is used as a pouring cream; it can replace milk in desserts to enrich them and is useful for people
on fat reduced diets.

 Yoghurt
 o It is a very healthy alternative to cream. It has many health properties as it contains a culture and
usually contains very little saturated fat. It may be used in a yoghurt based bavarois, sorbet, Panna
cotta, ice-cream or as a cream substitute.
o It is available plain, flavoured or frozen.

 Crème Fraiche
o In France this is standard fresh French cream. However in Australia it contains a culture. The cream
is naturally thick due to lactic acid bacteria in it which also produces a nutty flavour.
o It has a butter fat content of approx. 35% fat. The higher fat content makes it ideal for cooking; it may
be used in some sauces without the risk of separating.
o It is often served as a dollop form with fresh sweetened berries

 Butters
o These are available salted or unsalted. Unsalted is the preferred choice because the cook/baker may
add salt accurately and have greater control over the salt content. It has a much sweeter and more
pleasant flavour than salted butter. (Salt was added to butter originally as a preservative).
o It is composed mostly of fat, some water, protein, simple sugars and either salt or culture.
o Its main use in baking is to trap air with sugar during the creaming process this gives lightness as an
example cake making.
o It also gives superior flavour, and colour and richness.
o In contrast to cake making, butter is used in puff pastry production to allow for air to be trapped
between layers of pastry and butter, resulting in light, crisp pastry layers.
o It also aids tenderness to many baked goods by coating the gluten strands in the pastry and retarding
their development.
o It is added to sauces to give richness and sheen.
o It is also used in batters to enhance flavour, tenderness and to help prevent the batter from sticking
during the production of pancakes, crepes, etc.
o Sometimes, butter may be used as a lubricant. This is to help prevent baked goods adhering to their
tins during the baking process. Butter is best clarified for this purpose.

Ingredients - Oils
 It is often used in baked goods as a healthy alternative to butter. This results in a moister product which
lengthens their shelf life.

 Many delicately flavored oils like almond oil may also be used for lubrication purposes. One of the benefits
of this is it leaves the baked goods/dessert with sheen.

 Cooking sprays are very convenient to use because it is easier to spray a fancy cake form than to brush
with clarified butter. However, these products are expensive and extremely flammable.

Storage

 Both oils and sprays should be kept in very dry cool conditions away from uv light and warmth which will
facilitate rancidity especially in oils.

 Oils are best kept in airtight, coloured glass containers.

 Spray oils should not be used on non-stick surfaces and the chemical propellant has a detrimental effect
on the surface coating.

Ingredients - Cheese
 Cheese Commonly Used in Making Desserts

 Bakers Cheese
o A fresh (unripened) cheese with a low fat content, it is similar to cottage cheese, but it does not have
curds and its flavour is a bit sourer. Baker’s cheese is used in cheesecakes and cheese fillings for
pastries. It can be frozen.

 Cottage Cheese
o It is a lumpy, soft white cheese that can be purchased with small or large curds. It is often made with
skimmed pasteurized cow’s milk. It can be used as a low fat alternative to cream cheese as well as for
pancake and crepe fillings. It is also known as curd cheese.

 Ricotta Cheese
o It is from Italy. The word means re-cooked and its origins are in Rome and connected to the making of
Romano and Mozzarella.
o Ricotta was first made from the whey that was left after the curds from these cheeses had been
strained. Until about a century ago, this whey was discarded.
o It is now produced commercially made with whole milk rather than whey

 Cream Cheese
o It has a mildly tangy, spreadable cheese with a smooth, creamy texture. This soft, unripened cheese is
made from cow’s milk cultured with bacteria. It is a popular ingredient for many types of cheesecakes,
pastry doughs, tarts and cookies.

 Goats Milk Cheese

o Known as Chèvre in French, goat’s milk cheese can range in texture from very dry and crumbly to moist
and creamy. There are also fresh and ripened varieties.

 Mascarpone
oThis product is traditionally a triple cream Italian cheese made from cow’s milk. It originates from
Tuscany and Lombardy, these days is made in Australia and readily available in Italian specialty shops
and large supermarket chains.
o This is a very rich cheese made from fresh cream derived from cow’s milk.
o The cream is reduced to near triple crème consistency to give the cheese its soft, smooth, rich texture,
with an extremely rich fat content of 25- 60%, depending on the manufacturer.
o It is best stored in the containers it is purchased in, refrigerated under 5ºC, ensuring the containers are
tightly sealed. When opened it has a shelf life of only 1 week.
o Traditionally it was served sweetened, sprinkled with cinnamon and served with fruit.
o Today, it is best known for its use in tiramisu, gelatine, for filling crepes, served with fresh figs, and
makes beautifully rich cheesecakes. Mascarpone has the potential to separate very easily due to its
very high fat content. For this reason, minimum mechanical agitation should be applied when working
with mascarpone.
Ingredients - Nuts
 Nuts are a good source of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals. While nuts are high in fat, the fatty acids in
nuts (except coconuts) are mostly polyunsaturated. This type of fat is considered desirable in our diets.
Nuts vary in composition, but most nuts contain more fat than anything else.

 Nuts are most versatile in cooking. Varieties most commonly used in hot and cold desserts include
almonds, chestnuts, coconuts, hazelnuts, macadamias, peanuts, pecans, pistachios and walnuts.
 They can be purchased in many forms including: fresh, in its kernel, salted or unsalted, loose or pre-
packaged, whole, blanched, roasted, chopped, crushed, slivered, ground/meal, kibbled, paste or oil.

Types of Nuts

 Almonds – available natural (skin on) and blanched (skin off) in many forms: whole, split, silvered,
chopped and ground / meal.

 Chestnuts – must be cooked. They are available whole, frozen, glace and puree.

 Coconut – is available in many forms. Usually for the pastry kitchen, it is purchased as desiccated,
shredded or flaked. Coconut can also be purchased fresh and is used for its milk, cream, or fresh shaved
flakes for garnishes.

 Hazelnuts – available natural (skin on) and blanched (skin off) in many forms: whole, split, chopped and
ground / meal.

 Macadamias – are usually purchased whole or chopped with no skin.

 Pecans – available whole with the skin on or chopped.

 Peanuts – available whole and crushed. They can be sold roasted and also salted.

 Pistachios – available in their skin whole and chopped, as well as blanched and then silvered. Blanched
pistachios are bright green.

 Walnuts – available whole, as halves, chopped and crushed. Many nuts are also available as a paste
(e.g. almond, hazelnut and pistachio). These pastes are use in the pastry kitchen for the production of
many ice creams, mousses, cream desserts, petit fours and in cake production. The pastes tend to be
quite expensive, however the flavour is very intense and only small amounts are required to achieve the
desired taste.

Storage
 Most shelled nuts benefit greatly from being stored in very clean airtight containers.These containers are best
made from non-porous plastic.

 Due to the high fat content in nuts, they are prone to quick spoilage; hence by storing in the cool room, or for long
term storage in the freezer, you will slow down rancidity.

 Most nuts have a shelf life up to 3 months if stored in optimum conditions.

 Nuts also deteriorate rapidly when they are subject to kitchen warmth, uv light and oxygen.

 Be aware of insect and weevil infestation in nuts too. This also results in rapid deterioration of their quality and is
more likely to occur in autumn (their breeding season).

Quality

All nuts should be:

 Fresh with a good odour

 Sweet taste
  Crisp texture

 Good color

 Well-formed and free of dark, bitter membranes, insects and weevils.

Uses

 Nuts are extremely versatile and lend themselves to many dishes.

 Many nuts may be used for a garnish.

 Nuts may also be the prominent flavour and ingredient of a recipe.

 Many people have allergies to nuts so it is important to let customers know when nuts are present in a product.
One easy and attractive way to alert customers to the presence of nuts is to garnish the top of the item with the
type of the nut it contains.

 Nuts are toasted to develop flavour by allowing chemical reactions to occur. Toasting also improves the flavour of
slightly stale nuts. Besides improving flavour, toasting also darkens the colour and crisps the texture of nuts.

Ingredients - Flavorings
Vanilla

 Vanilla, sometimes called the orchid of flavour, is the most widely used flavouring agent in the pastry
kitchen.

 Its uses are endless because its taste compliments just about every other flavour and improves many of
them.

 Vanilla also has the distinction of being more expensive than any other flavouring or spice, with the
exception of saffron.

 Authentic vanilla bean is really the dried stamen from an exotic orchid grown in Mexico and parts of South
America. The bean is also known as a pod.

 It should be dry, soft, a little ribbed and pointed at one end.

 When spilt open, the deliciously fragrant and sweet seeds are exposed and ready to be scrapped out.

 They may be used to infuse and perfume crème Anglaise, crème caramel, brulee, etc.

 The pod, once used, may be washed, dried and stored in sugar to again, impart its delightful heady
perfume.

 The longer the vanilla is left in the sugar, the stronger the flavour (minimum 1 week).

 Vanilla may also be purchased in other forms, including:

o Pure vanilla essence – a flavouring agent made by aging a mixture of vanilla beans and alcohol. To be
labelled as pure, it must contain a specified ratio of vanilla to alcohol

o Imitation vanilla essence - This is an inferior product to pure vanilla essence. It is made using vanillin.

o Vanillin - are fragrant, powdery white crystals that form on the outside of vanilla bean pods during their
curing process. It is used to flavour artificial vanilla extract
 o Pure vanilla paste – is an intensely flavoured thick paste made from vanilla beans.

Storage of Vanilla Bean

 Vanilla bean is best stored in an airtight cellophane packaging or immersed in sugar.

 Either way keeps it airtight, in a clean, non porous container and away from heat and UV light.

 For maximum shelf life and also to prevent the pods drying too fast, store in the refrigerator.

Essences are based on alcohol. Some countries alcohol consumption is not allowed.

Flavoured waters are used to impart flavours into desserts and pastries

Aromatic Waters

 Orange Blossom water

o It is made from the distilled flowers of orange trees, can be purchased as a concentrated essence or
diluted water.
o It is highly fragrant and a few drops are all that is required to impart the aroma.
o It is used extensively in many countries in many ways. In the Middle East it is used in meat dishes,
fruit syrups and fruit salads.

 Rose Water
o It is used in many dishes similar to orange blossom water; however rose water is not as strong in
flavour.
o It can be used to flavour sugar syrups, honey or poured over desserts and pastries typically in the
Middle East such as baklava and Turkish delight.
o Rose water can be heated as it will not lose its flavour.
o Water distillation is the oldest method used, however, nowadays, steam distillation is the preferred
method, producing a more delicate and fragrant product.

Ingredients - Gelling and Thickening Agents

Gelatine

 Gelatine is a setting agent made from the tendons and bones of calves, cows and pigs, with most food
grade gelatine being extracted from pigskin. Gelatine is a clear

 Gelatine has many uses. It is a necessary ingredient in bavarois, fruit mousses, and cold soufflés. It is a
good stabilizer for whipped cream and many cake fillings, and provides the characteristic texture of
marshmallows and gummy confections.

 Gelatine is available in leaf (sheet) or powered form.

 To use gelatine; the required quantity must first be “softened” in cold water, and then added to a hot liquid
to dissolve. If gelatine is boiled it may lose its setting qualities.

 Gelatine needs to be chilled to set the liquid; it will not set at room temperature.

 The various brands of gelatine require differing amounts to set an amount of liquid. Always follow the
instructions on the packet; do not rely on the quantities set out in the recipe.
 Some fruits such as pineapple and pawpaw contain enzymes that affect the protein in gelatine and it will
not set.

Setting Strength of Gelatine

The setting strength of gelatine is referred to as “bloom".

 Silver - 150-160 bloom

 Gold -180-200 bloom.

Bloom is not marked on the packet when you purchase. You will need to contact the manufacturer to get
correct setting strength.

Agar Agar
 Agar agar is a natural vegetable based substance extracted from a type of Japanese seaweed and is
used in the pastry kitchen to thicken and jell products in the same way as gelatine.

 It is available in its natural form of greenish strips, or as a fine white powder. The strips must be soaked
for a minimum of 12 hours prior to use. The powder must be heated close to boiling point to dissolve fully
and will set strongly when cooled.

 It is suitable for vegetarians and in kosher preparations. It has almost triple the strength of gelatine. Agar
agar is principally used in the pastry industry for cream desserts, ice creams and sauces.

 Products set with agar agar will remain firm at room temperature, unlike those set with gelatine.

Pectin
 Pectin is present in all fruits, but fruits vary in the amounts they contain. Fruits high in pectin include:
apples, plums, cranberries, raspberries and citrus peel.

 These fruits can be made into jams and jellies without any added pectin. Pectin thickens, and in the
presence of acid and high amounts of sugar, it gels. Pectin gels are clear, not cloudy and have an
attractive sheen and clean flavour.

 Pectin is commonly used in glazes, jams and jellies, bakery fillings and fruit confections. It can be
purchased as a dry powder, which is typically extracted and purified from citrus peel or apple skins.

Tapioca

 Tapioca is virtually pure starch. It is extracted from the root of the tropical cassava or manioc plant.

 The word tapioca comes from a term used by the Brazilian natives meaning to press or squeeze out
residue, in reference to the way the starch (tapioca) is extracted. The roots are crushed and stepped in
water, and the liquid is then pressed out.

 Tapioca is available in several forms, including pure starch or flour, quick cooking granules, flakes and
pearls. When the pearls are cooked, the tapioca does not dissolve completely; instead, the small
particles become translucent and soft.

 Pearl tapioca must be soaked before cooking and is often used for tapioca pudding - a custard like
dessert. Tapioca pudding is commonly found on Asian influenced dessert menus.

Ingredients - Fruits
Classification of Fruits
Soft fruits Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, boysenberries, blueberries, gooseberries, grapes
and currants (red, black & white).
Stone fruits Apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, mangoes, cherries.
Hard fruits Apples, pears and quinces
Citrus Lemons, oranges, grapefruit, mandarins, cumquats, limes, pomelo, tangelo
Tropical Bananas, pineapple, lychee, rambutan, jackfruit, dragon fruit, guava, tamarillo, pawpaw,
custard apple
Miscellaneous Rhubarb, kiwifruit, persimmon, passionfruit, pomegranate, fig, watermelon, cantelope,
honeydew

Quality of Fruits
Soft fruits Mould free
Dirt free
Stone fruits Mould free
Not bruised
Hard fruits No bruising
Citrus Mould free
Skin to be firm, not soft
Tropical No bruising
Miscellaneous Good colour
Firm to touch
Melons should be heavier than they look.

Purchasing of Fruits
Fruits can be purchased in many forms as listed below with some examples:
 Fresh – by variety, such as fuji apples, corella pears . Individually, kilo, punnets, tray, box or case
 Pre-prepared – fruit salad, sliced mango, pineapple slices
 Dried – apple, apricot, banana, blueberry, cherry, citrus peel, cranberry, currant, date, fig, ginger, kiwifruit, mango,
melon, mixed peel, muscatel, pawpaw, peach, pear, pineapple, plum, prune, raisin, sultana
 Candied – orange, cherries, pineapple, apricot
 Canned – apple, apricot, cherry, grapefruit, lychee, mandarin, mango, passion fruit, peach, pear, pineapple
 Crystallized – citrus peel
 Frozen - strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, boysenberries, blueberries, currants and some Asian fruits
 Bottled – apricot, peach, plum, boysenberry, quince, cumquats
 Freeze Dried – intense flavour no moisture, difficult to store over time.

Storage of Fruits
 Fruits contain a lot of sugar and have a soft cell structure. If the cell walls and skin of fruit are damaged
they are susceptible to an attack from airborne yeast and moulds, which results in bruising. To retard
yeast and mould attack, it is necessary for us to handle fruits carefully and cool store them.

 The shelf life of most fresh fruit is prolonged through storage at 6 – 8º C.

 Soft fruits and some stone fruits do not like prolonged periods in the fridge, as they are sensitive to
chilling.
 Some fruits like banana are susceptible to discolouring when chilled and require storage at a warmer
temperature such as the dry store. o Some fruits such as citrus and hard fruits can be stored in the dry
store; however the shelf life is shortened.

 Some fruits such as citrus and hard fruits can be stored in the dry store; however the shelf life is
shortened.

 Fruits that need to ripen naturally can also be stored in the dry store in brown paper bags to increase the
ripening process, e.g. stone fruits.

 Fruits should be stored away from strong smelling ingredients e.g. basil, parmesan cheese, garlic.

 It is best to eat fruits at room temperature as their flavours are more pronounced.

 Kitchen Shears They are practical for opening food packages, cutting tape or string to package food, or
simply to remove labels or tags from items.

 Scraper
It is a rubber or silicone tool to blend or scrape the food from the bowl. It is a metal, silicone, or plastic
egg turner or flipper.

 Spoons
It is solid, slotted, or perforated. It is made of stainless steel or plastic, the solid ones are used to spoon
liquids over food and to lift food, including the liquid out the pot.

 Temperature Scales
It is used to measure heat intensity. The different thermometers are used for different purposes in food
preparation – for meat, candy, or deep frying.

 Vegetable Peeler
It is used to scrape the vegetables and to peel fruits. The best ones are made of stainless steel with a
sharp double blade that swivels.

 Whisks for Blending and Mixing

It is used for whipping eggs or batter and for blending gravies, sauces, and soups. The beaters are made
of looped steel piano wires that are twisted together to form the handle.

 Wooden spoons
This continues to be kitchen essentials because of their usefulness when used in creaming, stirring, and
mixing. They should be made of hard wood.

 Baking Pan
Baking pans like loaf pans, cake pans, pie plates, baking sheets, and so on are necessary for baking.

Equipment

 Refrigerator/Freezer
These are necessary in preventing bacterial infections from food.

 Range
It is a kitchen appliance used for cooking food.
  Mixers
It is used for mixing, creaming, beating, and whipping ingredients. The ultimate mixer for anyone who
bakes is a stand mixer.

 Blenders
These are used to chop, blend, mix, whip, puree, and liquefy all kinds of food. A blender is a very useful
appliance.

Unit 3: Preparing Desserts

Lesson 1: What are Desserts?
Objectives
At the end of the session, you will be able to:
 Identify what a dessert is
 Determine the importance of dessert in a meal
 Determine the different reasons in consuming desserts

Introduction
Desserts are considered as the grand finale of a meal. A dessert that is well presented and tastes delicious
will leave a lasting impression of a great meal with a customer. Traditionally, desserts were prepared in a
separate section of the kitchen by classically trained pastry chefs.

Definition
Dessert is usually the sweet course or dish (as of pastry or ice cream) usually served at the end of the
meal.

Reasons for eating desserts and sweets

 Dessert balances out a meal and gives “closure” to the meal

 Eating dessert is an opportunity to experience different flavours and textures that you cannot get in
other food like vegetables, meats, and fruits.

 Dessert can be an opportunity to be creative.You can make interesting mixtures that you otherwise
may not have thought of.

 Dessert isn’t fattening. Remember that there is no such thing as fattening food.

 It will make you feel like a kid again. The fastest way to recapture your youth is to eat like a kid.

 It is romantic. Desserts are designed for romance.

Lesson 2: Classification/Types of Desserts
Objectives
At the end of the session, you will be able to:
 Identify the different classifications of dessert
 Determine the characteristics of each type of dessert
 Determine the procedure of how each type of dessert is made

Introduction
To create a well-balanced meal, one should be familiar with the different categories of desserts to assist in
menu planning. Having a dessert from each category will offer a greater choice for the customer.

Fruit Desserts
 Poached fruit
 o Fruit used for poaching should be ripe and free of any blemishes. The liquid used for poaching is mostly
sugar syrup which is a combination of water and sugar and cooked under low fire until the sugar is
dissolved in the liquid or the right consistency is achieved.

o Extra flavour may be incorporated using wine, spices, herbs, liqueurs.

o The procedure of poaching depends on the ripeness and the consistency of the fruit to be poached. The
fruit is placed into the nearly boiling sugar syrup and poached until soft, then left in the syrup to cool.

o This method only applies to very ripe fruits such as stone fruits that don’t require too much cooking

o This is appropriate for hard fruits like quinces and pears.

 Candied fruit
o Fruit is poached in sugar syrup until soft. It is then placed into a 20ºBaumé hot sugar solution.

o During this period, water in the fruit exchanges with the sugar solution. After 24 hours drain off the sugar
solution and boil 2-3º higher. This is repeated until the solution is 36°Baumé. 10% glucose of the sugar
weight is recommended, to avoid crystallisation of the sugar.

o Citrus fruit may be blanched to remove bitterness prior to candying.

 Caramelised or baked fruit

o Fruit is sprinkled with sugar, which is either placed in an oven, salamander or torched with a blowtorch.

o Heat caramelises the sugar, which then changes the flavour and the colour.

o It also leaves a very high gloss on the product. Fruit may also be dipped into liquid caramel; this method
does not give much flavour improvement.

 Marinated or Macerated fruit

o Fruit is soaked with alcohol and sugar syrup over a period of time, usually from 6 months to 1.5 years.
The container with the fruit needs to be airtight, to prevent spoilage occurring from the presence of
oxygen.

 Crispy Dried fruit

o Fruit is cut into very thin slices, marinated with acid (usually vinegar or lemon juice) and sugar and dried
(2 parts sugar : 1 part water : 5% acid).

o The fruit is placed into a hotbox or into an oven (100ºC), it will then dry out and become crispy. Soft fruit
may be formed into certain shapes and then dried (flowers). Fruits with high acid content are very
suitable for drying out into fruit chips.
 Fruit Dessert: Banana Crepes
Portion: 6 servings

Ingredients

1 cup All-purpose four

¼ cup Confectioner’s sugar
2 pieces Eggs
1 cup Milk
3 Tbsp Butter, melted
1 tsp Vanilla extract
¼ tsp Salt
¼ cup Butter, melted
¼ cup Brown sugar, packed
¼ tsp Cinnamon
¼ tsp Nutmeg
¼ cup Half-and –half cream
4 pieces Bananas, halved lengthwise then crosswise
1 ½ cups Whipped cream
1 pinch Ground cinnamon

Procedure

1. Sift flour and powdered sugar into a mixing bowl. Add eggs, milk, butter, vanilla, and salt; beat until
smooth.
2. Over a medium heat, place a skillet and lightly brush with oil or butter. Add about 3 tablespoons batter. Tilt
skillet so that batter spreads to almost cover the bottom of skillet. Cook until lightly browned; turn and
brown the other side. Repeat process with remaining batter, grease skillet as needed.
3. Pour the melted butter in a large skillet. Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir in the cream
and cook until slightly thickened. Add the bananas to the skillet; cook until the bananas are softened a
little, spooning sauce over them. Remove from heat.
4. Roll a crepe around each banana half and place on serving platter. Spoon sauce over crepes. Top with
whipped cream and a pinch of cinnamon.

Pastry Desserts
‘Pastries’ is a term used to describe products that fall into the classification of pastry products. Pastry is a
dough made of flour, water, and fat. There are a number of different types of pastry. Pastry is made with
precision and usually requires exact measurements and particular handling in order to turn out well.
 Types of Pastry

 Puff Pastry
o It is made with many layers that expand as it is baked.
o It is really light, puffy, and flaky.
o It requires multiple steps to make and normally involves rolling out the pastry, spreading solid fat, folding
the pastry over, and rolling it again. This process is repeated several times to create small pockets
where the fat will melt and leave air pockets that will puff the pastry.

 Choux Pastry
o Making pate a choux or choux pastry can be a bit difficult because the timing of it is fairly precise.
o It is made by boiling fat and water, and then adding flour. Next, the mixture is cooled usually in a water
bath to fasten cooling. Once the mixture has cooled, eggs are added gradually, which results in a
smooth, shiny dough. The pastry is then baked, and later filled.

 Short Pastry
o This is the most commonly used form of pastry.
o It is made with flour, fat, water and salt.
o It is used in making pies.
o It requires minimal handling in order to preserve its flakiness. Excessive handling will cause gluten
strands to form and toughen up the dough.

 Filo/Phyllo Pastry
o Filo/Phyllo pastry is an extremely thin pastry that is layered in sheets to create a final dish.
o The thickness of a well-made phyllo/filo sheet is about the same as a sheet of paper or tissue paper.
Because of this thinness, it is the most delicate of all of the pastries and breaks easily.
o To use filo/phyllo pastry, spread each sheet with butter and layer it in four or five layers before wrapping
around a filling
o It is fairly difficult to make because it is hard to get the pastry as thin as is required.
o Filo/Phyllo dries out quickly. This makes it necessary to keep the sheets layered between parchment
paper and covered with a damp towel while it is being worked with.

 Rough Puff Pastry

o Also known as flaky pastry, rough puff pastry is created in a few layers.
o The fat in the layers melts and causes air pockets, which results in a light, flaky pastry.
o Strudel is an example of something made from rough puff pastry.

Fruit Tart

Yield: 6 servings
 Ingredients

FOR PATTE SUCREE (SWEET DOUGH)

60 g Butter
48 g Sugar
½ tsp Salt
30 g Egg
½ tsp Vanilla extract
120 g All-purpose flour

FOR THE PASTRY CREAM

190 ml Milk
95 g All-purpose cream
45 g Sugar
½ tsp Vanilla extract
2 pcs Egg yolks
20 g Cornstarch

FOR THE ASSEMBLY/GARNISH

50 g Dark chocolate, melted
50 g Apricot glazed
50 g Peach, sliced

Procedure

1. Cream the butter and sugar until combined. Use a spatula to remove any mixture stuck on the whisk while
creaming the butter. When done, add salt.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and vanilla until combined and pour over butter mixture. Add in the
flour and mix until combined. Do not over mix.
3. Using your hands knead and gather the dough into a rough ball. Wrap with plastic wrap and allow to rest
in the chiller for one hour.
4. Pre-heat oven to 190 C (375 F). Prepare the individual tart pans by brushing with butter or dusting with
flour.
5. On a floured surface, roll patte sucree as thin as possible and transfer to prepared tart pans to form the
crust.
6. Dock the patte sucree by pricking holes on the dough.
7. Bake for 15 minutes.
8. Combine milk, cream, and vanilla in medium size saucepan and simmer.
9. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Whisk in the cornstarch until
combined.
10. In a large bowl, temper hot milk mixture to egg yolk mixture to avoid curdling.
11. Strain the mixture and return it back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, mixing well to distribute
the heat evenly. Cook until thick and smooth.
12. Transfer to a bowl, cover and let it cool to set.
13. Brush the tart shell with melted chocolate to prevent crust from getting soggy.
14. Using a spoon, fill up the prepared custard halfway with the pastry cream.
15. Arrange the peach on top of the pastry cream in an attractive pattern.
16. Brush with apricot glaze.

Batters and Dumplings

 Batter is a simple mixture of flour and water that is used to make crepes and pancakes.
 Batters are used to coat products prior deep-frying or baking.
 Batters are also bases of crepes and pancakes.
 Examples of batter and dumpling desserts are
o Crepes
It is a type of pancake that is very thin that is usually made from wheat flour. The common ingredients
include flour, eggs, milk, butter and a pinch of salt. Crêpes are usually of two types: sweet crêpes
(crêpes sucrées) made with wheat flour and slightly sweetened, and savoury galettes (crêpes salées)
made with buckwheat flour and unsweetened.
o Pancakes
It is made by cooking batter onto a hot, greased surface.
o Fritters
These are fruit encased in batters both flat and aerated or just aerated batters in sauce.

Batter Dessert: Pancake

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

1 ½ cups All purpose flour

3 ½ tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Salt
1 Tbsp White sugar
1 ¼ cups Milk
1 piece Egg
3 Tbsp Butter, melted

Procedure

1. In a large bowl, sift the flour, then add the baking powder, salt and sugar.
2. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth and has no lumps.
3. Heat a frying pan over medium high heat. Lightly brush the surface of the pan with oil.
4. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both
sides and serve hot.

Chocolate Desserts
 Chocolate is a sweet, usually brown flavouring made from cacao seeds.
 Chocolate may be melted easily blend into fillings and batters.
 It can also be poured over desserts such as cakes and puddings.
 Chocolate desserts are any desserts that are made or flavoured using chocolate.
 Examples of chocolate desserts are mousse, soufflé, tart, pudding, ice cream, chocolate pot, and
garnishes.
 Chocolate Dessert: Chocolate Mousse

Portion: 3
Portion size: 150 ml

Ingredients

108 g Semisweet chocolate

27 g Butter
2 pieces Egg yolks, medium sized
2 pieces Egg whites, medium sized
18 g Sugar
60 ml Heavy cream

Procedure

1. Melt the chocolate over hot water or in a double boiler.

2. Remove from the heat and add the butter. Stir until the butter is melted and completely mixed in.
3. Separate the egg yolk and egg white. To separate the yolk from the white, crack the egg by tapping the
center of the egg on a hard surface. Gently break apart the shell into two over a bowl. Transfer the yolk
from shell to shell while letting the white drip to the bowl below. Place the yolk on a separate bowl.
4. Add the yolks, one at a time. Mix in each yolk completely before adding the next.
5. Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the sugar and beat until the egg whites form stiff but
moist peaks. Do not over beat.
6. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate.
7. Whip the heavy cream until it forms soft peaks. Fold it into the chocolate mixture.
8. Spoon the mousse into serving dishes or use a pastry bag fitted with a star tube.
9. Chill the mousse well before serving.

Frozen Desserts
 Bombes
o It is a type of frozen dessert which typically uses a chilled half sphere mould, lined with ice cream,
sorbet or sherbet and then filled with a rich cream mixture.
o Most recipes call for multiple layers of ice cream in different flavours and contrasting colours.
o When producing bombes, it is essential to freeze each individual layer until firm before attempting to add
the next.
o The bombe mixture that fills the lined mould is made from egg yolks, sugar and cream in the style of a
parfait. It is then flavoured according to the individual recipe, or which there are many classic variations.
o When fruit other than candied fruit is added to the bombe mixture, it must first be macerated in liqueur or
sugar syrup to prevent it from freezing too hard

 Parfaits
o Parfait is used to describe two different desserts – one European and the other American.
 o The American parfait is a dessert of alternating layers of ice cream, fruit and liqueur, served in a tall
glass and topped with whipped cream.
o The European parfait is a delicate frozen dessert, usually lighter and less sweet than ice cream, made
from a mixture of egg yolks and sugar syrup whipped to ribbon stage, with the addition of whipped
cream and flavouring folded through.
o It is very important that as much air as possible is maintained throughout its production so as to keep
the light texture that is essential for this dessert.
o The mixture is poured into moulds and frozen without churning. The parfait is de moulded and allowed
to warm for a few minutes before serving.
o This is to soften the parfait slightly to produce a far superior eating quality.

 Coupes
o These popular and practical individual ice cream servings are made to look attractive by specialty
serving dishes.
o Coupes are a combination of ice cream and/or sorbets, decorated with sauces, fruits, nuts and can also
include whipped cream.
o These days we refer to them as ice cream sundaes.
o Coupes must always be assembled and decorated to order.

 Bombe Alaska
o A Bombe Alaska is also known as a Baked Alaska.
o It is a classic dessert that combines cold frozen ice cream, wrapped in a thin sheet of soft sponge cake,
topped with caramelised sweet meringue.
o This dessert was then placed into an extremely hot oven to caramelise the meringue, without melting
the ice cream.
o Today, the meringue can be browned using a salamander or blow torch but the result is not the same.
o The dessert can also be flamed at the table by the waiter as it is wheeled in to the restaurant on the
dessert trolley.
o Flaming is when a small amount of alcohol is poured over the top of the dessert and is the lit and the
alcohol is then burnt off and flavour of the alcohol is residual

 Semi-freddo
o Semi-freddo is the Italian word denoting a cold dessert, literally half frozen.
o The basic semi-freddo mixture is made from whipped eggs or egg yolks, sugar and various flavourings
usually including a spirit or liqueur.
o Whipped cream and/or meringue are folded into this mixture and the base is still frozen (no churning).
o Semi-freddo is also made by layering the base with cake, custard, macerated fruits, crushed cookies,
nuts and chocolate.
o They can be made in moulds for multiple servings or as individual servings.

 Ice Cream, Sorbets and Sherbets

o Ice creams and other frozen desserts in different shapes and combinations have always been favourites
of guests and chefs alike.
o Ice cream desserts are very practical for the chef because they can be made some days in advance.
o Today, with small electric ice cream freezers available at a reasonable cost, home cooks can make ice
cream as effortlessly as professionals. Churning ice cream by hand has become almost obsolete.

 Crème Anglaise
o The term 'ice cream' usually refers to the custard sauce based variety (Anglaise), which is made from
cream and or whole milk, sugar and egg yolks.
o These ingredients are cooked over a bain-marie until the custard thickens sufficiently to coat a spoon
(82ºC).
o Anglaise is also used as a base for Bavarian cream or bavarois , mousses, other than chocolate and
can be used as a sauce by itself.
 o It is important not to overheat and coagulate the eggs when making an Anglaise.
o This mixture is then chilled, placed in an ice cream freezer together with the desired flavourings and the
mixture is frozen to a temperature of -18ºC while being churned to incorporate air and produce the
desired texture.
o The result should be smooth, airy and creamy.

 Sorbets
o There is often confusion between sorbets, (which are also called fruit ices or water ices) and sherbets.
o A classic sorbet never contains milk, cream or egg.
o In some sorbet recipes, a very small amount of lightly beaten egg white or Italian meringue is added
during the churning process to lighten the texture and increase the yield.
o Sorbets are made from a wide variety of fruit juices or purees.
o The level of sweetness for a sorbet depends on its use.
o The proper level of sweetness is determined by the addition of water or sugar syrup to the liquid or fruit
juice.

 Granita and Granitée

o These are the Italian and French names respectively for a type of coarse dessert ice.
o They use basically the same ingredients as sorbets; however they have lower sugar content and are
frozen with or without churning.
o They are made by combining simple syrup or water with various fruit purees, liqueurs, wines, brewed
coffee or tea.
o The Baume level is between 8º and 12º.
o Without churning, the mixture is frozen in a shallow pan, preferably stainless steel.
o The base is stirred from time to time as it hardens in the freezer. The mixture is then scraped into flakes
at serving time.
o The alternative to creating a granita by hand would be to purchase a commercial churning machine.

 Soufflé Glace
o Soufflé glace or frozen soufflés have Italian meringue folded through a parfait or bombe mixture to
imitate the lightness found in a hot soufflé. This can be flavoured with liqueur or fruit.
o The filling is then filled high above the rim of a soufflé mould, frozen, and served in that form.

 Frozen Mousses
o These are closely related to both parfaits and soufflé glace. Although each of these desserts is
classically made using a different formula, they share common characteristics.
o All achieve volume from air that is whipped into cream, eggs or meringue
o All are frozen without churning
o All require little or no stabilisers such as gelatine or pectin.
o A frozen mousse is distinguished from a parfait as it includes whipped egg white which is never used in
a true classical parfait mixture.

Frozen Dessert: Strawberry Sorbet

 Yield: almost 3 cups

Ingredients

4 cups Strawberries, ripe (or watermelon

1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp strawberry (or raspberry) preserves
A pinch salt
2 tsp fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1/3 cup water

Procedure

1. Rinse and hull the berries and put them in a food processor or blender. Purée until smooth.
2. Add 1/2 cup of the preserves and the salt.
3. Add the lemon juice and water and pulse to mix. The purée should taste a little bit sweeter than you think
it should.
4. Pour the mixture into a shallow container, cover, and freeze until hard for 3 to 4 hours.
5. Break the frozen mixture into chunks with a fork and process in the food processor or blender until there
are no more frozen pieces. Continue to process, stopping to redistribute the mixture from time to time,
until it is smooth and creamy and lightened in color. Pour it back into the shallow container and return it to
the freezer until it is hard.
6. Using a fork, scrape the frozen mixture until they are into bits and no large clumps of ice are present.
7. Using a scooper, gather the scrape mixture into a ball and place in a glass.
8. Serve immediately.

Cream Desserts
 There are many desserts that fit this category, including mousses, Pannacotta, bavarois, cold soufflés,
tiramisu, trifles and charlotte Russe.
 Cream desserts have ingredients in common and subtle differences.
 Some examples of cream desserts are:
o Mousses and bavarois both have cream, egg yolks and sugar, yet are not made the same way. Different
techniques are required to produce each dessert
o Pannacotta has cream and gelatine like a bavarois, yet are made differently
o Tiramisu is sometimes called an Italian trifle yet is different to the English trifle.

Cream Dessert: Pannacotta

 Ingredients

200 ml Milk
200 ml Cream
1 piece Star Anise, roasted
(Star anise is a fruit that looks like a 1-inch rust-colored star. It has a sweet and licorice-like taste that is
used as flavouring in cooking.)
½ Tbsp Vanilla extract
10 g Gelatine powder
50 g sugar

Procedure

1. Combine milk, cream, star anise, vanilla extract, sugar, and gelatine powder in a saucepan and slowly
bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 minute.
2. Strain through a fine mesh strainer or muslin cloth
3. Place the bowl over cold water to cool until it begins to thicken.
4. Scoop the mixture into moulds and leave to set for at least 4 hours, until firm.

Baked Custards
 Baked custard is a mixture of eggs, milk, sugar, and flavourings that is baked until the eggs coagulate and
the custard is set. They are baked in an ovenproof dish in an oven, often in a water bath.
 They come out quite firm and they can hold their shape when spooned out or turned out.
 Baked Custards are done when they wobble, or when a knife poked near the centre comes out clean, with
no milk adhering to it.
 A good custard holds a clean, sharp edge when cut.
 They will actually cook a little bit more after you remove them from the oven.
 Baked Custards can become Crème Brulée. Pumpkin Pie is a flavoured Baked Custard.
Note: Panna Cotta should set with a slight wobble.

Baked Custard: Crème Brulee

 Portions: 3

Ingredients

2 cups Heavy Cream

½ Tbsp Vanilla Extract
5 whole Egg Yolks
6 Tbsp White Sugar
3 Tbsp Caster Sugar

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 150 (325 F) degrees.

2. Pour the cream into the saucepan. Add the vanilla extract and simmer over medium-low heat.
3. Strain the cream using a fine mesh strainer.
4. Whip egg yolks with the sugar until pale yellow and thick.
5. Whip yolks while you very slowly drizzle in 1 cup of warm cream. Go slowly so as not to cook the eggs.
Once the first cup is added, you can add the rest of the cream slowly.
6. Place ramekins onto a rimmed baking sheet. Pour custard mixture into ramekins. Pour water in bottom of
baking sheet until it comes halfway up the ramekins. Bake for 30 minutes, or until just set. Do not allow to
get brown.
7. Cool ramekins on countertop, and then chill for at least 2-3 hours, covered in plastic wrap.
8. To serve, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of caster sugar over each ramekin of custard. Use a kitchen torch to
brown the sugar. Turn it on medium heat and move it back and forth on top of the ramekin until the sugar
is caramelized. There should be a thin, crisp surface of burned sugar on the top.
9. Serve immediately.

Pudding Desserts
Puddings are desserts with a creamy consistency that is thickened with some kind of binder like flour,
starch, or gelatine. It is difficult to give a definition of pudding that includes everything by that name. The
term is used for such different dishes as chocolate pudding, blood sausages (blood puddings), and steak-
and-kidney pudding.

Types of Puddings

 Starch-Thickened Puddings
 o Cornstarch pudding or blancmange
It consists of milk, sugar, and flavourings that is thickened with cornstarch or sometimes another
starch. If enough cornstarch is used, the hot mixture may be poured into moulds, chilled, and un-
moulded for service.
o Cream puddings
 These are the same as pastry cream. Puddings are made with less starch and may contain any of
several flavouring ingredients, such as coconut or chocolate.
 The difference between cornstarch and cream puddings is that cream puddings contain eggs.
 Cream puddings may be made by stirring hot cornstarch pudding into beaten eggs then heating the
entire mixture to just below simmer. You should be attentive as to avoid curdling the eggs if this
method is used.

 Baked Puddings
o These are custards that contain additional ingredients, usually in large quantities.
o The procedure for making baked puddings is the same as for making baked custard. A water bath may
not be necessary if the starch content of the pudding is high.
o Examples of baked puddings are:
 Bread pudding which is made by pouring a custard mixture over pieces of bread in a pan and baking
it in the oven.
 Rice pudding is another popular item that is made of cooked rice and custard.
 Soft pie fillings such as pumpkin could also be considered as baked puddings.

Pudding Dessert: Blancmange, English Style

Portions: 24
Portion size: 125 g

Ingredients

500 ml Milk
94 g Sugar
0.5 ml Salt
62.5 g Cornstarch
125 ml Milk, cold
3.75 ml Almond or vanilla extract

Procedure

1. Combine the milk, sugar, and salt in a heavy saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat.
2. Mix the cornstarch and cold milk repeatedly until perfectly smooth.
3. 3. Get 1 cup of the mixture and pour it in a thin stream to the cornstarch mixture to temper. Stir the
cornstarch mixture while pouring.
4. Stir this mixture back into the hot milk.
5. Stir over low heat until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil.
6. Remove from heat and add desired flavoring. Let it cool.
7. Pour into molds leaving 1 centimeter space from the top. Cool, and then chill.
8. Unmold the chilled mixture onto a plate. Garnish and serve.

Soufflé
 Soufflés are very popular desserts with customers as they look spectacular and are something most
people do not make at home.
 The French word Soufflé literally means to puff or to expand.
 Soufflés have a somewhat undeserved reputation as being not only delicate and airy, but also frustrating
as they may fail to rise at all, or having done so, may collapse at the wrong time. Therefore, “timing is
everything” applies to making a successful soufflé.

 Soufflés fall into two categories: sweet and savoury.

o Cheese soufflé is probably the best known of the savoury variety.
o For the sweet dessert soufflés, Soufflé Grand Marnier and the Harlequin Soufflé would be amongst the
most popular.
o The Harlequin Soufflé uses two types of batter baked together, offering proof that the soufflé technique
has been mastered by the chef.

 Soufflés can be made in two different ways:

oMeringue and starch thickened base Crème Patisserie or a panada is used as a base to which flavours
are added. A meringue is then folded through
o Meringue and flavouring
This soufflé is made by folding meringue through a flavoured base. This could include a liqueur, or a
fruit puree, or chocolate or marmalade, etc. Any of these bases could include the addition of alcohol.
(i.e. Frangelico and hazelnut paste soufflé)
 Essentially, the air trapped in the whipped egg whites becomes lighter and expands as heated. Soon after
the soufflé is removed from the oven, the trapped air begins to escape, and the soufflé deflates like a
punctured balloon. This is a good test of a perfectly prepared soufflé.
 If a soufflé just sits there high and mighty and never deflates, it is either over baked and dried out from
below, or is much too heavy and probably tastes more like a pudding than a soufflé.

To aid the soufflé batter in rising straight up:

o It should always be baked in a traditional round soufflé ramekin with straight sides

o This is then brushed with softened butter in an upward motion (helping the soufflé to rise straight up)

o The ramekin is then placed in the fridge to set the butter

o A second coat of butter can be applied if desired, and then caster sugar is used to evenly coat the
butter. The excess is removed.

o Clarified butter and melted butter should not be used on the ramekins, as the film left is too thin and
doesn’t aid the soufflé in rising with high straight sides.

 Characteristics of a well made soufflé are:

o It must be well risen with good height
o It must have risen evenly with straight sides and a flat top
o The meringue and other ingredients must be well blended together
 o It should have good well defined flavour
o The top should have a light golden brown colour.

Vanilla Soufflé

Portions: 5
Portion size: 125 g

Ingredients

45 g Flour
45 g Butter
250 ml Milk
62.5 g Sugar
3 oz Unsweetened chocolate, melted
As needed Butter
As needed Sugar
4 pieces Egg yolks
5 ml Vanilla
4-5 pieces Egg whites
30 g sugar

Procedure

1. In a large bowl, mix the butter and flour together to form a smooth paste.
2. In a sauce pan, dissolve the sugar in the milk and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat.
3. Fill a measuring cup with the milk mixture.
4. Using a wire whisk, mix the flour and butter paste while slowly pouring the milk mixture in the same bowl.
Continue whisking the mixture until it is smooth and there are no lumps present.
5. Using a strainer, strain the mixture back into the sauce pan and bring to a boil while beating constantly.
6. Simmer for several minutes, until the mixture is very thick and no starchy taste remains.
7. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl. Cover and let cool for 5-10 minutes.
8. While the mixture is cooling, butter the ramekins well and coat with sugar.
9. Quickly beat the egg yolks and vanilla into the mixture.
10. Using a hand mixer, set the mixer to medium speed and beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
11. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture forms firm, moist peaks.
12. Fold the egg whites into the soufflé base.
13. Pour the mixture using a ladle into the prepared ramekins and smooth the tops.
14. Bake at 190 C (375F) for 15 minutes.
15. Dust the top with powdered sugar and serve immediately.
Jelly Desserts
 There are different types of jelly desserts, from gelatin-based treats to spreads that are eaten alone or in
baked goods and candy.
 Jelly serves as an all-around base for various moulded desserts that are usually fruit-flavoured.
 There are also soft spreads such as jelly, jam, and preserves that are usually used as toppings or fillings
for various pastries, cookies, and cakes.
 A variety of jelly desserts can be made by dissolving its powder form (animal collagen used as base for
gelatine which is an agent commonly found in jelly desserts) into hot liquid and them chilling it to set. Fruit
flavours, natural and artificial, may be added together with dairy ingredients for a creamy custard-like
dessert made in a mould or cut into chunks or shapes.
 Jelly desserts also feature different types of fruit spreads. In some places, including North America, jelly
consist of a mixture of fruit juice, pectin, and sugar cooked to create a clear substance that keep its shape
but is still spreadable.
Lesson 3: Basic Principles of Cooking Desserts

Unit 4: Presenting Desserts

Lesson 1: Plan and Prepare Accompaniment, Garnishes, and Decorations
Lesson 2: Proper Storage