DECORATING AND STORING PASTRY

FINAL PERIOD

Module 4
 Petit Fours refer to:
•Small biscuits and cakes tastefully decorated
•Sweetmeat and cakes designed to be served as dessert with after dinner coffee or cocktails.

◦ Petit Fours should be small. They are often made into different shapes. They are delicate, crisp, fresh, attractive,
light, and designed to be swallowed in just one or two mouthfuls.
◦ It is prepared from a variety of ingredients. They are usually small pieces that have been baked. While the
emphasis is on small, non-baked confectionery items like caramelized and glace fruits, marzipan shapes, or
other small sweet delicacies are also served as Petit Fours.
◦ Iced petit four are small, bite-sized cakes with a thin coating of glaze, typically fondant, which is applied at the
end of the production process. Assembled in large sheets and cut after setting up, petit fours glaze contain thin
layers of cake alternating with jam and/or butter cream. The top of the cake is adorned with a thin layer of
marzipan to add flavor, as well as a smooth surface for the glaze to settle on. Marzipan is made from almond
paste, a cooked sugar syrup, and sometimes glucose and/or egg white. After the cake is cut, it can be enrobed in
fondant, or sometimes dipped in chocolate. Petit fours glazes are typically finished with intricate, stylized
piping
Types or kinds of petit four
bases:
◦ The base for petit four can be marzipan and sponge. A petit four base must be strong
enough to hold the petit fours.

•Cake can be baked in shallow trays then topped with soft topping then cut to shape desired similar to sponge sheets.
•Shortbread mixture of flour, fat and sugar, enriched with egg and has a short eating quality
•Pastry puff pastry can make a suitable base for petit fours when a sweet filling is used.
•Sponge baked in thin sheets and layered together with filling which act as an adhesive to hold the sheets of sponge together.

SHALLOW TRAY SPONGE CAKE SHORT BREAD

◦ Fresh petit fours also called “petit fours fraise or fresh” are moist, filled with pastry cream and often topped with fresh fruits
miniature éclairs, and cream puff

◦ This type of petit four is created with mini pastries. The most common types of mini pastries are fruit tarts, éclairs or cream
puffs. Cream puffs and éclairs are filled with butter cream or pastry cream, while fruit tarts are made with custard and truffles.
Fresh petit fours are not typically glazed, but some éclairs and cream puffs have a chocolate glaze placed on top to finish them
off
Selection of fruits and nuts for caramelized petit four
◦ Caramelized sugar can be used to coat petit fours before they are served.
◦ Caramelized petit fours are mainly roasted nuts and dried fruits with marzipan. Any product that is coated
with caramel needs to be dried. Strawberry and grapes can be dipped in caramel but only have a life span of a
couple of hours. The product is best consumed within 30-40 minutes is best.

◦ The main problem here is the moisture from the inside of the fruit weeps out and the hard caramel falls off of
the product. Caramelized nuts and marzipan work better if the product is dry to carry the caramel better.
 Preparation of caramelized petit four:
•Put the product to be caramelized on a tray.
•Any fruit that is to be dipped in caramel needs to be dry and its skin needs to be intact.
•Remove all the string and pith of orange.
•Grapes need to be in small clusters of 2 or 1.
•Nuts should be slightly roasted; raw nuts have a diminished flavor to them.
•Prepare the equipment needed before the making of the caramel.
•Having a prepared surface to place the caramel dipped product is also important.
•An oiled surface will allow the caramel to cool and then not bond to the surface.
•If hot caramel is placed onto an unprepared surface it will stick to the surface.
•The product will then crack when attempting to remove the product from that surface.
 Preparation of coating for fruits

◦ •Caramel is sugar that is cooked until it reaches a temperature of 156°C until it begins to color.
The color intensifies as the temperature increases.
◦ •Caramel that has reached a temperature of 175°C is burnt. It will have the very dark, almost
black color and from this point on, it loses sweetness and becomes bitter.
 To make the caramel:
 Dissolve a portion of sugar in some water; 4 parts sugar to 1 part water.
 Slowly heat until boiling. Stir occasionally to dissolve sugar before solution boils.
 When solution reaches boiling point, add 10% liquid glucose of sugar weight.
 Stir gently to dissolve glucose.
 Skim any scum that rises to the top.
 Wash sides of pot down with pastry brush and cold water.
 Allow solution to cook until temperature reaches 160ºC.
 Do not stir the solution while it boils as this may cause crystallization to occur.
 As solution rises above 160ºC it will begin to change color to light amber color. When solution has colored to
desired caramel colour, remove from heat and arrest the cooking process by placing base of pot into cold water.
 Leave in cold water until solution stops boiling.
 The solution is now ready to use.
 Speed and efficiency is needed here because as the solution cools the caramel becomes thicker and harder to work.
 Coating caramelized petit fours:
◦ •Dip the product into the hot caramel.
◦ •Take a dipping fork into oil and then pick up the product and let it drop into the toffee.
◦ •Use the oil covered tines of the fork to roll the product in the hot caramel. Remove the product from the hot
caramel. The caramel covered product should slide off the fork onto the prepared surface that has been smeared
with oil to prevent sticking.
◦ •Allow caramel to cool before removing to paper cup for storage.
◦ •Some product can be dipped by holding bottom of product and dipping of the product into hot caramel. Care
needs to be taken here as the danger of burning fingers is high.
◦ •Hold product above caramel and allow excess to flow back into pot. Sit product on oiled surface to cool.
 Safety precautions
◦ •Have a bowl of cold water when working with hot caramel.
◦ •Hot caramel can cause damage skin on contact.
◦ •Avoid wiping hot caramel off as it will just cause more damage.
◦ •Place the affected area into the cold water. This will cool and set the caramel. It can then be peeled off with
minimal damage to skin surface.
◦ •The damage is already done and blisters will ensure.
◦ •This technique is about minimizing further damage to other parts of the body.
 Overview of
Dessert Plating
◦ The art of the plated dessert is a fairly new aspect today. Plating styles have changed. Gradually, pastry chefs began to
shift their focus back to flavor, discovering that they could create great-looking and great tasting desserts without building
towering constructions.
◦ An important factor in the development of plating styles is the way pastry and kitchen chefs work together as a team to
shape the culinary identity of the restaurant. Dessert menus are treated as continuations of the dining experience, not
simply as an unrelated sweet course tacked on at the end.
◦ Dessert plating styles are constantly changing and evolving. Thanks to today’s creative pastry chefs.
 PLATING DESSERT

◦ Plated dessert presentations or simply plated desserts are desserts that are served by an establishment such as
restaurant, resort, or dessert café after it is ordered by a guest and enjoyed on site.
◦ There are four components of a plated dessert: The main item, the dessert sauces, the crunch component, and
the garnish. A plated dessert should have all of these items, but if it lacks any one of these items except for the
main item it can still be a plated dessert. It is widely believed that all of the components should be edible. Many
chefs believe that each component should be eaten as well.
Three main goals of plated dessert
1. To satisfy the customer
- This emphasizes flavor above all else, though you can argue that the actual visual design of the plate also
satisfies a customer.
2. To complement the venue’s theme
- This emphasizes the visual and creative expressions of a dessert continue to bring customers back.
3. To make a dessert that is affordable in the terms of the restaurant
-This is in terms of both complexity and price. A dessert that is too complex will put too much stress on the
kitchen staff when it needs to be reproduced and a dessert that is too expensive will never be purchased by the
customer.
Four components of
plated dessert
1.The Main Item
◦ The main item can be anything such as a slice of pie, a mini tart, a cluster of cookies, custard. It is the actual dessert itself. The
product should weigh between three and five ounces but it is not unusual for it to weigh as much as 8 ounces. The main item
should never be large that is overwhelming. It should be the main focal point of the dessert presentation. It should be the main
source of flavor for the presentation while the other components contrast and complement it.
2.The Sauce
◦ Plated desserts should have up to two sauces each. Overall the sauces should not weigh more than one to two ounces with the
exception of a flooded design. Sauce is very important for dry items like pies and cakes although a sauce can also be added to
any dessert. The sauces used should be about the same consistency. The sauces should be able to hold their own shape. This
allows for dessert sauces to be manipulated like paint to create fun designs.
3.The Crunch
◦ A crunch component is an added component that adds a crunch to the dessert. It is usually a dry decorative cookie or biscuit
added to any dessert to make it crunchy. exactly how it sounds. It enriches the dish and makes the flavor of the dish more
enjoyable from the first bite up to the last. This is especially important to soft desserts like custard and ice cream.
4.Garnish
◦ The garnish is the final component of a plated dessert. Common garnishes include fresh mint leaves, powdered sugar,
chocolate piping, fruit, chocolate and sugar work, and sorbet. Garnish should be used with restraint just as much as it should be
used tastefully. A garnish that is over used loses its effect and can ruin a dessert. The most commonly over used garnish is the
mint leaf. Although a mint leaf has a refreshing flavor and adds a color to desserts, this garnish is very common. A pastry chef
should push his boundaries and use his creativity to find a garnish that works better than a mint leaf.
 Portion control

◦ Portion control means ensuring that the right quantity of food is prepared and served every time a customer
orders a menu item. Dishes can be served in different profile.
◦ •Single dessert: larger portion
◦ •Buffet dessert: smaller portion.
◦ Restaurants can present greater variety while maintaining cost control and quality. In other words, customers
will be consistently satisfied every time they visit.
 Dessert Presentations

◦ Desserts can be presented in a variety of ways: as party favors, in a

dessert buffet or as a grouping of delicious confections aimed at
dazzling your guests. There are certain desserts that should be
available for display but it depends on the available facilities
Plan a dessert display appropriate to the
location.
◦ •Will it be displayed in a fully equipped commercial kitchen in a
five star location?
◦ •Will it be displayed at a tranquil picnic spot by the river 25
kilometers from the place of production?
◦ •If there is no electricity then the possibility of having ice cream is
now greatly diminished and chilled cream cakes and desserts will
not be on the menu.
 Facilities
◦ •Electricity
◦ •Working space
◦ •Ability of the staff in the kitchen
◦ •Ability of the staff front of house
◦ •Quality of the equipment that is given to work with
◦ •Preparation of the product can be conducted elsewhere

◦ All these possibilities need to be considered when planning the dessert display
 Desirable equipment for display
1. serving platters 2 Sauce jugs. 3. Plates 4. cutlery

5.) napkins 6.)Tongs

7.) Lifters 8.) refrigerated cooling

9.) hot display bain marie.

ACTIVITY 1
Answer the following questions.
1.Which is an added component of desserts, which is essential for soft desserts like custard and ice
cream?
2.What is a miniature bit-sized confection coated with icing?
3.What petit four decorated or covered with fondant icing?
4.What dessert component is the actual dessert itself?
5.Which dessert component which attributes in moist characteristics of dessert?

ACTIVITY 2
Draw ang label the components of a dessert.
ACITIVITY 3
You have been assigned to prepare, present and serve dessert to the owner of your
school. Apply all what you have learned to make your dessert presentable and
appetizing. Your output will be rated using the Scoring Rubric below.
Your performance will be rated using the Scoring Rubric below
Very
Good Good Fair Poor
Indicators (4) (3) (2) (1)
1. General Appearance
a. Dish is attractive and appetizing.
b. Dish is pleasing to look at and with
good color combination.
c. Ingredients are cooked just right.
d. Dish has just the right consistency.
2. Palatability
a. Dish is delicious.
b. Dish tastes just right.
3. Nutritive Value
a. Dish is highly nutritous