The French pastry landscape offers more than just croissants or pain-au-chocolat. To explore beyond these classics, visit one of the tempting French pastry shops you encounter.
Whether cold or warm, sweet or savory, you’ll find petit fours—delicately sized treats that you’ll crave endlessly.
How a small bite can impress a foodie
The name derives from the French “petit fours”, meaning “small oven” as they were baked in a smaller, secondary oven next to the main oven. In a French patisserie “petit-four” is used interchangeably with “mignardises“.
The culinary dictionary Larousse defines petit four as “Petit gâteau (frais ou sec) ou petit amuse-gueule salé, que l’on mange d’une seule bouchée.”. They are typically one to two bites in size and have a choice of shapes, colours and decorations. An assortment of petits fours commonly comes in three varieties:
- Glacé, tiny cakes usually made from a firm cake, layered with fillings and covered in icing or fondant. They are served on a special occasion such as a wedding or as an afternoon tea snack. Quite commonly they include two layers of cake, one layer of frosting, and a coating of icing. The preparation is time-consuming, which makes the cakes expensive to buy from a bakery. That is why frozen petits fours are also for sale to consumers. The selection includes small éclairs, tartlets.
- Salé, little savory bite-sized appetizers commonly served at cocktail parties, buffets or dinner parties. The list covers mini-pizzas, dainty biscuits topped with liver pâté, eggs, anchovies or ham.
- Frais, (fresh) are moist, filled with pastry cream, often topped with fruits. The examples are: miniature eclairs, fruit tarts, éclairs or cream puffs and profiteroles.
- Sec, dry and crunchy unfilled cookies baked at a low temperature for a long time. Popular examples feature palmiers, macarons, meringues or fluffy puff pastries
- Demi-sec types include cake-like or filled cookies, such as macarons or madeleines
In thirteen’s century, a man called Régnaut-Barbo invented the first oublies which are a precursor to modern confections. Oublies means ‘thin crisp’ in English. They were baked between two rolled irons decorated with characters and quickly became a trendy dish.
Treat your treats well
“In France, cooking is a serious art form and a national sport” said Julia Child, the founder of a French cooking school. France was always seen at the forefront of the art of eating. Table setting is as well a true art and it also includes they way the food is arranged.
Presentation is a great way to make food both entertaining, fun and sharable. The goal in presenting petit fours is to pick the right plate for the right treat, for the right occasion, and for the right guests. The display should be attractive, elegant and finely crafted. Depending on the quantity of treats you can group them in a set of four or more on an elegant platter or tray. Line them up, never pile them on top of each other.
The two bites petite cakes are eaten with the fingers. No need for fork or knife.
Full-sized flavours of the bite-sized desserts
There are two basic elements enriching the taste of your petit fours: icing or filling. The common coatings are:
- sugar glaze = powdered sugar + water + corn syrup
- ganache glaze = chocolate + warm heavy cream
- mirror glaze = gelatine + water + cream + sugar + cocoa powder
- hybrid glaze = chocolate + sugar glacé
The layered pastries are usually filled with fruit jam, ganache, buttercream, marzipan, lemon curd, hazelnut, pistachio or even caramel.
The future of the miniature pastries
The Chocolate Academy states that Street Food-inspired desserts and baked goods are the new trend in 2023. Street food embodies authentic local tastes. Offering portable, small bite servings would enable tourists to sample various classic flavors when visiting a new place.
We’re familiar with mini-burgers in restaurants and mini-tarts in bakeries. Why not serve mini Arancinis, Pierogis, Khachapuri, or Arepas? Sharing what you’ve ordered is easier when traveling with friends. Shareable mini desserts are definitely a new trend, not only in the catering business. Whether you crave a brownie, cupcake, or cheesecake, dessert boards are available in tiny portions in fancy restaurants or served in grab & go style at street food stalls.
