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A petit four (plural: petits fours, also known as mignardises) is a small bite-sized
confectionery
Confectionery is the art of making confections, which are food items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates. Exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confectionery is divided into two broad and somewhat overlapping categories ...
or
savory appetizer. The name is
French, ''petit four'' (), meaning "small oven".
History and etymology
In 18th and 19th century France, gas ovens did not exist.
Large brick (Dutch design) ovens were used, which took a long time to heat up to bake bread, but also to cool down. Bakers used the ovens during the cooling process, taking advantage of their stored heat, for baking pastry. This was called baking ''à petit four'' (literally "at small oven"), a lower temperature which allowed pastry baking.
Types
Petits fours come in three varieties:
* ''Glacé'' ("glazed"), iced or
decorated tiny cakes covered in
fondant
Fondant is a mixture of sugar and water used as a confection, filling, or icing. Sometimes gelatin and glycerine are used as softeners or stabilizers.
There are numerous varieties of fondant, with the most basic being poured fondant. Others in ...
or icing, such as small
éclairs, and
tartlet
A tart is a baked dish consisting of a filling over a pastry base with an open top not covered with pastry. The pastry is usually shortcrust pastry; the filling may be sweet or savoury, though modern tarts are usually fruit-based, sometimes with ...
s
* ''Salé'' ("salted"), savory bite-sized
appetizer
An hors d'oeuvre ( ; french: hors-d'œuvre ), appetiser or starter is a small dish served before a meal in European cuisine. Some hors d'oeuvres are served cold, others hot. Hors d'oeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the ...
s usually served at cocktail parties or
buffet
A buffet can be either a sideboard (a flat-topped piece of furniture with cupboards and drawers, used for storing crockery, glasses, and table linen) or a system of serving meals in which food is placed in a public area where the diners serve ...
s
* ''Sec'' ("dry"), dainty
biscuits
A biscuit is a flour-based baked and shaped food product. In most countries biscuits are typically hard, flat, and unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing, jam, ginger, or cinnamon. They can also b ...
, baked
meringue
Meringue (, ; ) is a type of dessert or candy, often associated with Swiss, French, Polish and Italian cuisines, traditionally made from whipped egg whites and sugar, and occasionally an acidic ingredient such as lemon, vinegar, or cream of ...
s,
macaron
A macaron ( , )
or French macaroon ( )
is a sweet meringue-based confection made with egg white, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond meal, and food colouring.
The macaron is traditionally held to have been introduced in France by the Ital ...
s, and
puff pastries
In a French patisserie, assorted small
dessert
Dessert is a course (food), course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as confections, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. In some parts of the world, such as much of Greece and West Africa, and ...
s are usually called ''mignardises'', while hard, buttery biscuits are called petits fours.
See also
*
*
List of French desserts
This is a list of desserts from the French cuisine. In France, a chef who prepares desserts and pastries is called a pâtissier, who is part of a kitchen hierarchy termed ''brigade de cuisine'' (kitchen staff).
French desserts
*
*
*
*
* ...
References
Citations
General references
* 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.
French pastries
French cakes
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