Dessert Presentation (Textbook Chapter 22) Flashcards
What are the 3 essentials of dessert presentation?
- Good basic baking and pastry skills
- Professional work habits
- Visual sense
Why do dessert menus change throughout the year/seasons?
So that chefs can use the freshest ingredients. Ie. fresh berries in the summer and apples and pears in autumn.
True or False - Every item on a plated dessert should have a purpose.
True - all garnishes and sauces should harmonize with the dessert and not be added just because
What are 3 guidelines to keep in mind when preparing plated desserts to enhance comfort and meet the expectations of the customer?
- Include a combination of elaborate/complex desserts and simple comfort foods.
- Think of the convenience of the diner. Don’t make a dessert too difficult or awkward to eat.
- Select plate sizes that are not too large or too small.
What elements can be used to spice up a common dessert?
~ a special plate arrangement
~ an unusual sauce
~ a signature garnish or accompaniment
What is the role of flavour in plate design?
In plated desserts, the presentation should enhance the flavour, not cover it up. Use the best ingredients available to maximize flavour!
What are the 2 stages of creating plated desserts?
- Cooking and baking doughs, batters, fillings, creams, sauces, etc.
- Assembling these components into finished desserts and pastries.
List 5 product components that can be used in plated desserts.
~ meringues ~ mousses ~ ice creams ~ sorbets ~ cookies ~ puff pastry ~ sponge ~ cake layers ~ pastry cream ~ dessert sauces
What are the basic elements of plated desserts?
~ Main Item
~ Secondary Items and Decor
~ Sauce
Define: Garnish
An edible item added to another food as a decoration or accompaniment. A secondary or supporting item in classical cuisine.
Define: Decor
Small food items whose primary purpose is decoration.
True or False - Decor does not add important flavour and texture.
False - Decor can be added to enhance flavour, texture, and eye appeal.
What function do secondary items have in plated desserts?
They enhance and add contrast to the main item or items.
When plating desserts, what 5 characteristics should be considered for each component of the dessert?
~ Flavour ~ Texture ~ Temperature ~ Colour ~ Shape
Flavours should _______ or ________ each other.
Enhance, Complement
True or False - All elements of a plated dessert should have the same texture and temperature.
False - look for pleasing varieties of texture and temperature.
True or False - A well-prepared dessert in a few shades of brown can look very appetizing.
True
True or False - A dessert presentation must include at least one or two added items to enhance the appearance.
False - Before adding anything, consider whether serving the dessert alone would be effective.
List 5 items that can be used as secondary items and decor on plated desserts.
~ 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
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. _______).
fresh, cooked, whole, berries, cut, wedges, pineapple apples pears peaches mangos kiwi…
Define: Quenelle
A small, oval portion of food.
True or False - Whipped Cream can be considered a sauce or a garnish.
True
What benefit might decorating a plated dessert with small cookies provide?
Textural contrast to soft desserts such as mousses, Bavarians, and ice creams
When might a fruit crisp be used for a plated dessert and why?
Fruit crisps are often used to decorate fruit desserts of a corresponding flavour. They are used to provide textual contrast and add flavour interest.
What are 3 examples of chocolate decor for plated desserts?
~ Curls
~ Cigarettes
~ Cutouts
~ Piped Lacework
What is choux lattice in terms of decor?
It is pate a choux piped in various shapes and can be sprinkled with poppy seed if desired.
What 3 general concepts should be kept in mind when planning dessert presentations?
- Every component should have a purpose.
- Components can work together by complementing or contrasting.
- When elements contrast ensure they are balanced.
What are the 2 functions of dessert sauces?
- To enhance flavour
2. To enhance the appearance
List 4 of the most versatile dessert sauces.
~ Creme Anglais Variations
~ Chocolate Sauce
~ Caramel Sauce
~ Fruit Sauces or Sweetened Fruit Purees
True or False - Sauces are often poured onto plated desserts.
False - Pouring a sauce on mars the appearance of the dessert. More often sauces are piped on or applied in a decorative swoosh.
Define: Flooding (as it relates to sauces)
Pouring a pool of sauce onto a plate.
Define: Outlining (as it relates to sauces)
A design is piped onto the plate with chocolate which is allowed to set. The chocolate design is then filled with sauce.
What methods are used to apply sauces to a dessert plate?
~ 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
