- Petit four
A petit four (plural: petits fours) is a small
cake generally eaten at the end of a meal or served as part of a largebuffet . The name is from the French "petit four", meaning "small oven".Typically, in America, petits fours consist of alternate layers of
sponge cake andbutter cream topped by frosting and are approximately 1 inch square and about 1.5 to 2 inches high. They are covered withfondant , often pastel in color, and are commonly decorated with piped icing roses or other sugar embellishments. The term "petit four" may also, however, refer to any of a variety of smallconfection s, especially in France, where the American-style layered sponge cake is not typical.There are two different categories of petits fours. "Petits fours secs" ("sec" meaning "dry") include a variety of small
desserts , such as special daintycookies , bakedmeringue s,macaroons , and puff pastries. "Petits fours glacés" ("glacé" meaning "iced") are iced or decorated in some way, such as tiny cakes covered in fondant or frosting, small éclairs, and tartlets. In a French patisserie, assorted small desserts are usually called mignardises, while hard, buttery cookies are called petit fours.There are also the petits fours salés, which are bite-sized salted appetizers usually served as part of cocktail parties or buffets.
Petits fours were traditionally made during the cooldown process of brick ovens fired by
coal fuel in the 18th century. Coal heat is hard to control as it burns so much hotter than wood, and at the time was much more expensive so waste of the heat generated was not an option.References
* [http://www.joyofbaking.com/History.html History at Joy of Baking]
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