Petit Fours

i love petit fours also. in fact i am trying to search some recipes regarding that since we cannot buy petit fours here in the Philippines especially here in Quezon province.maybe some parts of metro manila which is a 4 hour travel from here... most of the people here does not know what petit fours are. only HRM and Culinary graduates like me are the ones who are aware of the term "petit fours". allrecipes.com Petits Fours Frosting SUBMITTED BY: Carol INGREDIENTS * 1 cup white sugar * 1 dash cream of tartar * 1/8 teaspoon salt * 1/2 cup water * 1 drop red food coloring * 1 drop green food coloring * 1 drop yellow food coloring * 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar DIRECTIONS 1. Combine sugar, cream of tartar, salt, and water in a small saucepan. Cook to the soft ball stage, 234 - 240 degrees F (112 - 115 degrees C). Cool to lukewarm. 2. Gradually beat in enough confectioners' sugar to make mixture thick enough to almost hold its shape. Stir in flavoring. Divide into 4 parts. Leave one part white and tint other portions pink, yellow, and green. 3. To ice petits fours, place them on a cooling rack and spoon the icing/frosting over the top until covered. --------------------------------- Petits Fours SUBMITTED BY: Courtney "This is a sponge cake that it is perfect for making petits fours. Dense yellow cake that can stand up to the process of being cut into small pieces, and iced individually. Decorate each little cake with a whole nut, some candied fruit, tiny candies, sprinkles or coconut." INGREDIENTS * 2 eggs * 2 egg yolks * 1 cup sugar * 2 cups all-purpose flour * 2 teaspoons baking powder * 1/2 cup milk * 5 tablespoons butter, melted * 2 cups Frosting for Petits Fours DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan. 2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and egg yolks using an electric mixer. Add sugar, and beat until thick and pale, about 10 minutes. If you have a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment. Sift the flour and baking powder into the egg mixture, and fold in by hand along with the milk. Stir just until the batter is mixed. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. 3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. When finished, invert the cake pan onto a sheet of waxed paper, and cool completely. This will give you nice even petits fours. 4. Cut the cooled cake into small squares, rectangles or triangles, and arrange the pieces in rows on a wire rack or glazing screen with plenty of space between rows. Set the rack over a shallow pan or waxed paper to catch the drips. 5. Spoon or pour warmed petit four icing over the small cakes. The drippings may be scraped off of the pan or paper, and reheated for use again. Allow the petits fours to set until completely dry. Lift the cakes from the rack with a metal spatula, and trim the bottom edges with a sharp knife. Set into small muffin papers for easy handling. Decorate as desired. ----------------------- Japanese Green Tea Petits Fours SUBMITTED BY: Hilary PHOTO BY: S. Leigh "Green tea-flavored petits fours with a green tea whipped cream and decorated with green tea marzipan. This recipe could also be adapted to make a layer cake or tube cake. The powdered green tea used here is called matcha, the powdered kind used in Japanese tea ceremonies." INGREDIENTS * 2 eggs * 3 egg yolks * 6 tablespoons white sugar * 1/3 cup cake flour * 2 tablespoons cornstarch * 1 tablespoon powdered green tea * 2 egg whites * 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar * 2 tablespoons white sugar * 1 cup heavy cream * 2 teaspoons powdered green tea * 4 teaspoons superfine sugar * 6 tablespoons almond paste * 1 teaspoon powdered green tea * confectioners' sugar for dusting DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease an 11x7 inch pan. Line bottom with parchment paper and grease and flour paper. Sift together the flour, cornstarch and 1 tablespoon green tea. Set aside. 2. In a large bowl, beat eggs, yolks and 6 tablespoons sugar until tripled in volume, about 5 minutes. Fold flour mixture into whipped eggs. In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Add 2 tablespoons sugar, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whites into the batter, then quickly fold in remaining whites until no streaks remain. Spread batter into prepared pan. 3. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until center of cake springs back when lightly tapped. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, then invert onto a flat surface. Let cool. 4. To make the Green Tea Whipped Cream: In a medium bowl, whisk the heavy cream with the 4 teaspoons superfine sugar and 2 teaspoons green tea until stiff peaks form. 5. To make the Decorative Green Tea Marzipan: Knead the almond paste with 1 teaspoon green tea. Roll out between 2 sheets of plastic wrap, or lightly dust with confectioners' sugar while rolling. 6. When cool, remove parchment paper from bottom of cake. Cut cake horizontally down the middle to make two layers. Spread bottom layer with 1/2 of the whipped cream, then cover with top layer of cake and spread top with remaining whipped cream. Cut assembled cake into 12 pieces using a knife or decorative cutters. Roll out the marzipan and cut into 12 pieces to match the shapes of the cakes. Place the decorative marzipan pieces on top of cakes.

FINALLY, a post about petit fours! I have met someone who shares my love of them, LOL. Seriously, I love them. People usually don't know what I'm talking about, or they just don't care. They are so good. They are like a cake, but yet like pastry. When I was a child, I didn't want a birthday cake, I wanted petit fours! Unfortunately, I don't have the money to buy them, and I haven't had any of them for a long time. But I look forward to having some in the future. : )