Ingredients and Terminology for the production of Hot and Cold Desserts

Ingredients

Eggs

Eggs are used in pastry work because of their binding, emulsifying and coating properties.  Eggs are both protein and fat, thus improving the nutritional value and flavour. When buying eggs the following points should be noted;

• The eggshell should be clean, well shaped, strong and slightly rough
• When eggs are broken there should be a high proportion of thick white to thin white.  If an egg is kept, the thick white gradually changes into thin white and water passes from the white into the yolk.
• The yolk should be firm, found (not flattened) and of a good even colour.  As eggs are kept the yolk loses strength and begins to flatten, water evaporates from the egg and is replaced by air.

Store eggs in a cool but not too dry place; 0-5c is ideal.  Egg shells are porous and will absorb strong odours; therefore, they should NOT be stored near strong smelling foods such as onions, fish or cheese etc.  Stocks should be rotated: first in, first out.  Hands should be washed before and after handling eggs.

Cracked eggs should not be used.

Flour

Flour is probably the most common commodity in daily use.  It forms the foundation of bread, pastry and cakes and is also used in soups, sauces batters and other foods.

Different types of flours are used in the production of Hot and Cold desserts, such as wheat flour – white and brown, self raising flour, wholemeal, cornflour, arrowroot, rice flour, semolina flour and oat meal.

Flour should be stored in a cool, dry store room preferably in a flour bin with a tight fitting lid. It should be dry with no lumps, white in colour and free from foreign bodies, bits or weevils.

Fats

Pastry goods may be made from various types of fat, examples are;

• Butter – excellent for flavour, comes in salted, slightly salted and unsalted.
• Margarine – is often made from a blend of oils that have been hardened.  Margarine can contain up to 10% butterfat.
• Cake margarine – is a blend of oils hydrogenated (hydrogen gas is added) with the addition of an emulsifying agent that helps combine water and fat together.  Cake margarine may contain up to 10% butterfat.
• Pastry margarine – this is used in the production of puff pastry.  It is a hard plastic or waxy fat which is suitable for layering.
• Shortening – this is made from oil and is 100% fat, such as hydrogenated lard; another type of shortening is rendered pork fat.
• Lard – used in savoury pastry.  It gives a shortening to the pastry.
• Suet – made from animal fat, a vegetarian option made from vegetable oils it comes in a shredded form which makes it easily usable.  Recommended for suet puddings, dumplings, Christmas puddings and mincemeat.

Dairy Products

Most Pastry Chefs will use fresh milk and other dairy products every day, products such as;

• Milk powder – this is a very useful product and has a wide use in many recipes.  It may be added in powder form or reconstituted (1 pint water to 2oz milk powder).
• Evaporated milk – this is concentrated and smooth which makes it ideal as cream or used in sauces.
• Condensed milk – similar to evaporated but has high concentration of sugar.  Ideal in the production of homemade fudge.
• Crème fraiche – treated with bacterial culture.  Has a distinctive slightly sharp taste.
• Soured cream – single cream treated with bacterial culture, with a rich tangy taste.
• Yoghurt – milk that has been thickened by the action of a special bacterial culture, which also gives yoghurt its characteristic tangy taste.
• Fresh cream – this is butter fat separated from fresh milk.  There are a few different types use by Pastry Chefs, however there are 3 main types, Single, Double and Whipping cream.

Cream, milk products and milk must be handled in a hygienic way and must be stored refrigerated at 0-5c on the top shelf away from any strong smelling foods.

Sugar

Sugar is extracted from sugar beet or sugar cane.  The juice is crystallised by a complicated manufacturing process.  It is then refined and sieved into several grades such as; granulated, caster or icing sugars.  Loaf or cubed is achieved by pressing the crystals whilst still wet, drying them in blocks, and then cutting into squares/cubes.  Syrup and treacle are produced during the production of sugar.  Fondant is a cooked mixture of sugar and glucose. 

Sugars used in the production of pastry products are;

• Icing sugar – powdered form used for sweetening and dusted over products as decoration.
• Caster sugar – even small crystals, good for products which are aerated by beating in the air, e.g. sponges.
• Granulated sugar – larger crystals use in any goods in which there is sufficient liquid for it to dissolve, i.e. syrups and sweetening sauces.
• Nib sugar – sugar crystals in clusters to form lumps used for decorating mainly such as Bath Buns.
• Demerara Sugar – pale amber in colour and used for decorative effect and in some cakes such as flap jacks.
• Golden syrup – should be perfectly clear and transparent and pale amber in colour.
• Fondant – pure white in colour, plastic effect and should have no hard crust.
• Honey – either a clear, golden coloured thin syrup or as a thick opaque crystallised mass.
• Confectioners’ Glucose – thick, clear transparent syrup used in all types of boiling sugar preparations.

All sugar products absorb moisture from the atmosphere, dry storage is essential even if some form of heating is needed.

Dried Fruits

Dried fruits not only refer to Currants, Sultanas, Raisins and Peel but also Figs, Dates, Apricots Peaches, Apples, Pears and Prunes.  Sometimes Glace Cherries and other glace fruits are included in this general term.  Dried fruit should be stored in a cool dry place in an air tight container.  Most dried fruits are very high in fibre, so are an ideal ingredient to add to desserts to encourage healthy eating.

Nuts

There are many types of nuts and nut base products available to Pastry Chefs, such as;

·         Almonds – whole almonds, split almonds, strip almonds, flaked almonds, nib almonds and ground almonds.  These nuts are also use as the main ingredient in the production of Marzipan and Praline.

·         Walnuts – available in halves or broken.

·         Brazil – available in whole or broken.

·         Hazelnuts – available whole blanched or unblanched, roasted or ground. This nut is also use as the main ingredient in the production of Praline.

·         Pecan – available in halves or broken used as a decorative nut.

·         Chestnuts – must be cooked by roasting or boiling.  Available whole preserved in sugar- marron glace or puréed.

·         Coconut – available thread, desiccated, powdered, milk or creamed.

Nuts are best stored in an air tight container in a cool, dry place.

Terminology

• Aerate – adding air into your mixture through whisking.
• Bain Marie – A container of water for cooking foods such as delicate egg custard mixes, crème caramels, crème bruleè and cabinet pudding to prevent them from burning, the water should be simmering NOT boiling.  Also a container of water in which foods may be kept hot without the fear of burning.
• Bake blind – baking an unfilled pastry case for filling later. 
• Baking – cooking in an oven at correct controlled temperatures.
• Bavarois – a light sweet dish which includes gelatine and cream.
• Bun wash – a liquid mixture of sugar and water brushed on yeasted buns immediately on removal from the oven to add a shiny glaze.
• Charlotte – a dessert made in a special shape for which a charlotte mould is required.
• Coulis – sauce made from fruit, which is puréed and strained.
• Creaming – mixing fat and sugar together to produce a creamy, light and fluffy consistency, should take place in a round bottomed bowl using a wooden spoon.
• Docker – an implement with spikes which can mark and decorate pastry goods prior to cooking.  It also provides holes for the escape of steam in pastry, i.e. puff pastry.
• Dough – usually refers to a mixture of flour and liquid either fermented or not.
• Enrich – the addition of enriching ingredients such as fat, sugar, eggs etc. to dough’s and pastries.
• Ganache – a mixture made from chocolate and cream used to decorate gateaux and a base for petit fours.
• Glaze – is caramelizing sugar by the use of a salamander or oven.  Also to add a gloss to dessert items by coating with an agent such as apricot/strawberry mixture.
• Gluten – the insoluble protein of wheat after it has been hydrated. It is the elastic substance which assists in trapping the carbon dioxide gas.
• Hard flour – flour containing a higher quantity of gluten - strong flour.
• Lamination – formation of a number of layers as in the making of puff pastry.
• Macerate – to seep in a liquid to soften.  Generally applied to fruit which is sprinkled with liqueur to improve flavour to a dessert.
• Marble icing – decorative effect caused by inlaying one coloured icing into another in the form of a design.  Usually called feathered icing – feathering.
• Masking - covering a cakes surface with icing, Buttercream or nuts.
• Mousse – a dessert which is light and fluffy in consistency.
• Poach – simmer dishes gently in boiling liquid without allowing the contents actually to boil such as poached pears using a sauté pan and a slotted spoon.
• Pureeing – is a process that includes boiling fruit with sugar, liquidising and passing.
• Soft flour – flour with a weak gluten content.
• Sorbet – a very light fruit ice.
• Soufflé – a very light dessert.  It may be served hot or cold, sweet or savoury.  A cold soufflé should be light, fluffy and fully set.
• Stewing – a slow method of cookery using minimal liquid and done usually in the oven.

Quality points of Hot and Cold Desserts

• Cooked suet puddings – should be spongy, not heavy or wet with a good flavour.
• Hot syrup sponge – should be light and golden brown in colour.
• Cold lemon soufflé – should be light, fluffy and fully set.
• Chocolate mousse – should be light, fluffy, fully set and of a correct colour depicting the type of chocolate used.
• Bavarois – should be light, fluffy, fully set and a good colour depicting the fruit or flavouring used.
• Crème Bruleè – should be a soft, set custard with a hard golden brown sugar glazed top.  Bruleès should be glazed very quickly to prevent the custard mix starting to cook again.
• Crème Pâtissière – should have good consistency, not too heavy or wet, good sugar balance, smooth with no lumps.
• Sauce Anglaise – should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, free from lumps of egg and a good sugar balance.  If allowed to boil or over cook the sauce will split and be unusable.
• Glazes – should be of a consistency to just coat the item.  If too thick correct the consistency with boiling water and too runny add more thickening agent – arrowroot.

Decorating and finishing Hot and Cold Desserts.

• Cold Lemon Soufflé – piped rosettes of whipped cream on top and roasted pistachio or nibbed almonds on the sides.
• Cream slice – made from layers of crisp golden brown puff pastry, sandwiched together with whipped cream or pastry cream.  The top finished with water icing or fondant.
• Chocolate Gâteau – can be finished with Buttercream or ganache, piped or poured and sides finished with grated chocolate or vermicelli.
• Strawberry Gâteau – piped rosettes of fresh cream and cut strawberries on the top.
• Raspberry bavarois – whipped cream and raspberries.

Points to remember when preparing and cooking hot and cold desserts

• Check requirements with your recipes or dish specification.
• Check ingredients – correct type, availability, quality, quantity, if in doubt get a second opinion.
• Any problems or confusion should be reported to the Head Chef.
• Weigh all ingredients accurately.
• Work in a clean and hygienic manner.
• Check cooking temperatures carefully.
• Remember health and safety rules when using equipment and machinery.
• Use correct equipment and machinery to prevent damage, injury, and wastage of poor quality products, wastage of cost and wastage of time.
• Always do all the stages of production correctly to ensure dishes have the correct finish, dishes are produced at a minimum cost and you have a consistent saleable end product.
• Always check the “use by dates”, if out of date the ingredients MUST be thrown away.

Options for Healthy Eating

• Use wholemeal flour.
• Use less salt and sugar.
• Use unsaturated fats.
• Add dried fruit to dishes to sweeten and add fibre.
• Use semi-skimmed milk instead of full fat.
• Serve cream or sauces separately from the main dessert.
• Use unsweetened cream.
• Use crème fraiche instead of cream.

Storage of Hot and Cold desserts

• Cold desserts – must be stored in the refrigerator at 0-5˚c.
• Hot desserts – must be stored at a temperature above 63˚c.