Chapter 18

Petits Fours
Petits Fours – Miniature Pastries

• Are any type of pastry small enough to be

consumed in one to two mouthfuls.
• Attention to detail is paramount.
• Uniformity in size, shape and consistency of
finishing details count a great deal for the eye
appeal of petits fours.

On Baking: A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals, Second Edition Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Labensky, Martel, Van Damme Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All rights reserved.
Petits Fours – Miniature Pastries

• General guidelines are:

– No more than one or two small bites
– Represent a variety of textures and flavors
– Be visually attractive
– Complement whatever foods precede or accompany
them without duplicating their flavors

On Baking: A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals, Second Edition Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Labensky, Martel, Van Damme Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All rights reserved.
Petits Four Varieties
• Petit fours are divided into five broad categories
based on preparation method, texture or principal
ingredient:
– Dry such as fragile, crunchy dainty cookies
– Fresh such as tartlets filled with creams and fresh fruit
– Iced such as delicate layer cakes cut into small squares
– Almond such as French-style macaroons
– Glazed Fruit

On Baking: A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals, Second Edition Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Labensky, Martel, Van Damme Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All rights reserved.
Petits Four Components

On Baking: A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals, Second Edition Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Labensky, Martel, Van Damme Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All rights reserved.
Serving and Presenting Petits Fours
• Individual petits fours are usually placed in fluted
paper cases, allowing for ease of pickup and neat
serving trays.
• When placing petits fours on a platter, parallel
rows of the same item allow for ease of selection
and replenishment.
• Footed and tiered trays offer visual excitement in a
limited amount of space.

On Baking: A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals, Second Edition Copyright ©2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Labensky, Martel, Van Damme Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All rights reserved.