Petit four

A petit four (plural: petits fours, also known as mignardises) is a small bite-sized confectionery or savory appetizer. The name is French, petit four (French pronunciation: [pə.ti fuʁ]), meaning "small oven".

Petit four
An assortment of petits fours
TypeConfectionery
CourseDessert
Place of originFrance
Main ingredientsVaries by type
French assortment of petits fours

History and etymology

In 18th and 19th century France, large brick or stone (Dutch design) 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").[1][2]

Types

Petits fours come in three varieties:

In a French patisserie, assorted small desserts are usually called mignardises, while hard, buttery biscuits are called petits fours.

See also

References

Citations

  1. Olver, Lynne (June 24, 2012). "history notes—cookies, crackers & biscuits". The Food Timeline. Archived from the original on August 4, 2012.
  2. Jebirashvili, Revaz (3 February 2011). "The History of Petit Fours". Mini Desserts. Retrieved 10 February 2015.

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.


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