A petit four (plural: petits fours, also known as mignardises, and in England, fancies) is a small bite-sized confectionery or Umami appetiser. The name is French language, petit four (), meaning "small oven".
History and etymology
In 18th and 19th century France,
Masonry oven were used to bake bread. Because the ovens took a long time to cool down after baking bread, bakers often took advantage of their stored heat for baking
pastries. This process was called baking
à petit four (literally "at small oven").
Types
Petits fours come in three varieties:
-
Glacé ("glazed"), iced or cake decorating tiny cakes covered in Fondant icing or icing, such as small éclairs, and
-
Salé ("salted"), savory bite-sized usually served at cocktail parties or
-
Sec ("dry"), dainty biscuits, baked , , and Puff pastry
In a French pâtisserie, assorted small are usually called mignardises, while hard, buttery biscuits are called petits fours.
File:Three yellow Easter petits fours.jpg|Petit four glacé
File:Pataclette.jpg|Petit four salé made of potato and cheese
File:Weihnachten 2020 Weihnachtsplätzchen 34.jpg|Petit four sec with chocolate coating
See also
Further reading
-
Garrett, Toba. Professional Cake Decorating. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2007. p. 226.
-
Kingslee, John. A Professional Text to Bakery and Confectionary. New Delhi, India: New Age International, 2006. p. 244.
-
Maxfield, Jaynie. Cake Decorating for the First Time. New York: Sterling Pub, 2003. p. 58.
-
Rinsky, Glenn, and Laura Halpin Rinsky. The Pastry Chef's Companion: A Comprehensive Resource Guide for the Baking and Pastry Professional. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2009. p. 214.
