Petit four
{{Short description|French confection}}
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{{Infobox food
| name = Petit four
| image = Petits.fours.wmt.jpg
| image_size = 300px
| caption = An assortment of petits fours
| alternate_name =
| country = France
| region =
| creator =
| course = Dessert
| type = Confectionery
| served =
| main_ingredient = Varies by type
| variations =
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File:Petits Fours 283819318.jpg
A petit four (plural: petits fours, also known as mignardises, and in England, fancies) is a small bite-sized confectionery or savory appetiser. The name is French, petit four ({{IPA|fr|pə.ti fuʁ}}), meaning "small oven".
History and etymology
In 18th and 19th century France, large brick or stone ovens 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").{{cite web |last1=Olver |first1=Lynne |author1-link=Lynne Olver |title=history notes{{mdash}}cookies, crackers & biscuits |url=http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodcookies.html |website=The Food Timeline |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120804134845/http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodcookies.html |archive-date=August 4, 2012 |date=June 24, 2012 |url-status=dead}}{{cbignore|bot=InternetArchiveBot}}{{cite web|last1=Jebirashvili|first1=Revaz|title=The History of Petit Fours|url=http://petitedesserts.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/history-of-petit-fours.html|website=Mini Desserts|date=3 February 2011 |access-date=10 February 2015}}
Types
Petits fours come in three varieties:
- Glacé ("glazed"), iced or decorated tiny cakes covered in fondant or icing, such as small éclairs, and tartlets
- Salé ("salted"), savory bite-sized appetizers usually served at cocktail parties or buffets
- Sec ("dry"), dainty biscuits, baked meringues, macarons, and puff pastries
In a French pâtisserie, assorted small desserts are usually called mignardises, while hard, buttery biscuits are called petits fours.
See also
- {{portal-inline|Food}}
- List of French desserts
References
{{Reflist}}
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.
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