Dessert Presentation (Textbook Chapter 22)

Question 1

What are the 3 essentials of dessert presentation?

Answer 1

1. Good basic baking and pastry skills
2. Professional work habits
3. Visual sense

Question 2

Why do dessert menus change throughout the year/seasons?

Answer 2

So that chefs can use the freshest ingredients. Ie. fresh berries in the summer and apples and pears in autumn.

Question 3

True or False - Every item on a plated dessert should have a purpose.

Answer 3

True - all garnishes and sauces should harmonize with the dessert and not be added just because

Question 4

What are 3 guidelines to keep in mind when preparing plated desserts to enhance comfort and meet the expectations of the customer?

Answer 4

1. Include a combination of elaborate/complex desserts and simple comfort foods.
2. Think of the convenience of the diner. Don’t make a dessert too difficult or awkward to eat.
3. Select plate sizes that are not too large or too small.

Question 5

What elements can be used to spice up a common dessert?

Answer 5

~ a special plate arrangement
~ an unusual sauce
~ a signature garnish or accompaniment

Question 6

What is the role of flavour in plate design?

Answer 6

In plated desserts, the presentation should enhance the flavour, not cover it up. Use the best ingredients available to maximize flavour!

Question 7

What are the 2 stages of creating plated desserts?

Answer 7

1. Cooking and baking doughs, batters, fillings, creams, sauces, etc.
2. Assembling these components into finished desserts and pastries.

Question 8

List 5 product components that can be used in plated desserts.

Answer 8

~ meringues
~ mousses
~ ice creams
~ sorbets
~ cookies
~ puff pastry
~ sponge
~ cake layers
~ pastry cream
~ dessert sauces

Question 9

What are the basic elements of plated desserts?

Answer 9

~ Main Item
~ Secondary Items and Decor
~ Sauce

Question 10

Define: Garnish

Answer 10

An edible item added to another food as a decoration or accompaniment. A secondary or supporting item in classical cuisine.

Question 11

Define: Decor

Answer 11

Small food items whose primary purpose is decoration.

Question 12

True or False - Decor does not add important flavour and texture.

Answer 12

False - Decor can be added to enhance flavour, texture, and eye appeal.

Question 13

What function do secondary items have in plated desserts?

Answer 13

They enhance and add contrast to the main item or items.

Question 14

When plating desserts, what 5 characteristics should be considered for each component of the dessert?

Answer 14

~ Flavour
~ Texture
~ Temperature
~ Colour
~ Shape

Question 15

Flavours should _______ or ________ each other.

Answer 15

Enhance, Complement

Question 16

True or False - All elements of a plated dessert should have the same texture and temperature.

Answer 16

False - look for pleasing varieties of texture and temperature.

Question 17

True or False - A well-prepared dessert in a few shades of brown can look very appetizing.

Answer 17

True

Question 18

True or False - A dessert presentation must include at least one or two added items to enhance the appearance.

Answer 18

False - Before adding anything, consider whether serving the dessert alone would be effective.

Question 19

List 5 items that can be used as secondary items and decor on plated desserts.

Answer 19

~ Fruit
~ Ice Cream/Sorbets
~ Whipped Cream
~ Small Cookies
~ Fruit Crisps or Chips
~ Chocolate Decorations
~ Choux Lattice
~ Stencil Paste/Tuille Batter
~ Sugar Spirals, Spun Sugar, and other forms of Sugar Work

Question 20

Fruit is a good complement for many pastries. Nearly any _____ or ______ fruit can be used. Depending on size and shape they can be used _____ (ie. ______) or ______ in _______ (ie. _______).

Answer 20

fresh, cooked, whole, berries, cut, wedges, pineapple apples pears peaches mangos kiwi…

Question 21

Define: Quenelle

Answer 21

A small, oval portion of food.

Question 22

True or False - Whipped Cream can be considered a sauce or a garnish.

Answer 22

True

Question 23

What benefit might decorating a plated dessert with small cookies provide?

Answer 23

Textural contrast to soft desserts such as mousses, Bavarians, and ice creams

Question 24

When might a fruit crisp be used for a plated dessert and why?

Answer 24

Fruit crisps are often used to decorate fruit desserts of a corresponding flavour. They are used to provide textual contrast and add flavour interest.

Question 25

What are 3 examples of chocolate decor for plated desserts?

Answer 25

~ Curls
~ Cigarettes
~ Cutouts
~ Piped Lacework

Question 26

What is choux lattice in terms of decor?

Answer 26

It is pate a choux piped in various shapes and can be sprinkled with poppy seed if desired.

Question 27

What 3 general concepts should be kept in mind when planning dessert presentations?

Answer 27

1. Every component should have a purpose.
2. Components can work together by complementing or contrasting.
3. When elements contrast ensure they are balanced.

Question 28

What are the 2 functions of dessert sauces?

Answer 28

1. To enhance flavour

2. To enhance the appearance

Question 29

List 4 of the most versatile dessert sauces.

Answer 29

~ Creme Anglais Variations
~ Chocolate Sauce
~ Caramel Sauce
~ Fruit Sauces or Sweetened Fruit Purees

Question 30

True or False - Sauces are often poured onto plated desserts.

Answer 30

False - Pouring a sauce on mars the appearance of the dessert. More often sauces are piped on or applied in a decorative swoosh.

Question 31

Define: Flooding (as it relates to sauces)

Answer 31

Pouring a pool of sauce onto a plate.

Question 32

Define: Outlining (as it relates to sauces)

Answer 32

A design is piped onto the plate with chocolate which is allowed to set. The chocolate design is then filled with sauce.

Question 33

What methods are used to apply sauces to a dessert plate?

Answer 33

~ Using a squeeze bottle
~ Using a pastry bag
~ Using a spoon
~ Streaking sauce with a brush
~ Streaking sauce with an offset spatula
~ Streaking sauce with the back of a spoon
~ Using a toothpick to marble sauces of similar consistency