In Praise of Petits Fours
Petit Fours are exquisite little iced cakes. (Actually, the term comprises not only cakes, but also, eg., palmiers, sacristains, sablés, almond tile cookies, and langues du chat (cats’ tongues). They are ideal for serving at a bridal shower, an elegant afternoon-tea table, or on a silver platter displayed in a splendid dessert trolley. Trust me, they’re not difficult to make – you only need to be more attentive than skilled – and, as in all things, the desire to succeed counts at least as much as experience. Caring is the greatest thing, caring matters most!
I prefer to use a cake recipe comprising almond paste, sugar, eggs, butter, and flour. When cool, cut your cake in half (the shorter distance); lift one-half of the cake out of the sheet pan, then spread half of the petit-fours sheet still in the pan with stirred, seedless raspberry jam; set the other half on top. Now, place in the freezer for 20 minutes – still on the pan!
Next, melt equal amounts of dark & white chocolate in separate saucepans.
Remove the sheet from the freezer and lift the cake out. Using small cookie cutters, cut out shapes – not only squares, but diamonds and rounds, too! Leave half of them on your work surface, and cover the other half with a damp cloth. With a fork, spear the petits fours through the top (which will become the underside); dip half of them in dark, the other half in white chocolate. Then place on a rack to dry. Chill them all. Decorate in any manner you fancy.
Hold the petits fours at room temperature 15-20 minutes, before serving.
A wonderful reference book is Flo Braker’s Sweet Miniatures : The Art of Making Bite-Size Desserts (Morrow).
