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So what exactly is a petits four? According to Careme, the name petits fours comes from the fact that they are usually made in a slow oven, after the big cakes have come out and the temperature of the oven has gone down. In most French bakeries, the cakes and breads are baked first, then the biscuits (cookies) and petits fours and lastly, the meringues, when the oven is at its’ coolest.

Furthermore, there are two types of petits fours. The French consider cookies as the first kind and the second are the beautifully iced little cakes, usually consisting of a genoise, layered with a myriad of fillings and iced with fondant. Another characteristic that separates petits fours from other little confections is that no matter what, everything must be exactly the same size. (Thank god for cookie cutters!)

SUISSES

For the Genoise:

16 tablespoons (2 sticks or 8 oz.) unsalted butter, melted
6 tablespoons sweet sorghum flour
6 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons tapioca flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons guar gum
8 eggs
1 cup + 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 teaspoons almond extract
25 candied cherries, halved

Preheat your oven to 350° F after you have liberally buttered and lined a half sheet jelly roll pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Sift together all the dry ingredients into a small bowl and keep it close by. Place the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan and gently heat until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat then pour the butter over your dry ingredients. Whisk until smooth and set aside.

In a stand up mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the eggs, the granulated sugar, and the almond extract until it is thick and mousse-like in texture and the color of the earliest morning; a pale sulpher sunrise swelling in your bowl, about 5 minutes.

Once your eggs couldn’t get any happier, pour your butter mixture into the eggs and with the mixer on high, whip for 30 seconds. Immediately pour the batter into your prepared cookie sheet and bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until your genoise is the color of a golden peach or grapefruit. The cake should feel like a delicate sponge when touched with your finger. Allow to cool completely in the pan before proceeding.

For the Strawberry Butter Cream:

1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup water
6 egg yolks, lightly beaten
300g unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups organic strawberries, where available
2 tablespoons Kirsch

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, cook the sugar and the water over a medium-low flame until the temperature reads 239ºF or 115ºC (soft ball stage) on your candy thermometer.

Place egg yolks into the bowl of your stand-up mixer with the paddle attachment and whip on medium-high speed. When your sugar comes to temperature, immediately pour into the egg yolks with the mixer still on medium speed. Whip on high speed until the eggs become big and thick, something like 4 times their original size and the mixture is cool.

Cream the butter in a separate bowl and then add it to the egg yolk mixture. Mix until very smooth.

Puree your cleaned strawberries in a blender and then pass through a fine sieve. Add the pureed strawberries and Kirsch to the butter cream and mix until very smooth. Your filling is now ready.

Take a pastry bag with a ½ inch plain tip and fill it with your butter cream.

Take a 1 inch round cookie cutter and cut out your genoise rounds. Pipe a generous mound of butter cream on top of each cake round and then top each petits four with a halved candied cherry.

Refrigerate while you make your fondant.

For the Fondant:

2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup water
2 ½ tablespoons light corn syrup
½ teaspoon white powdered food coloring

Pour all of your ingredients, except the food coloring, into a heavy bottomed sauce pan and heat until it registers 239ºF or 115ºC on your thermometer. Remove from the heat and then pour into a clean, cold bowl, with the powdered food coloring waiting in the bottom of the bowl. Allow to cool completely before you begin icing your petits fours. If your fondant is very thick, just add some cold water and whip until the desired consistency. You want your fondant to have the consistency of runny toothpaste.

When your fondant is the proper consistency, begin icing your petits fours with a large spoon: simply pour the icing over each cake until evenly coated. You should be able to see the cherry through the icing.

Makes 40 petits fours.

BLANC ET NOIR PETITS FOURS

For the Genoise:

16 tablespoons (2 sticks or 8 oz.) unsalted butter
4 ounces semi-sweet (62%) quality chocolate, finely chopped
6 tablespoons sweet sorghum flour
6 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons tapioca flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons guar gum
8 eggs
1 cup + 2 tablespoon granulated sugar

Preheat your oven to 350° F after you have liberally buttered and lined a half sheet jelly roll pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Sift together all the dry ingredients into a small bowl and keep it close by. Place the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan and gently heat until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and add your finely chopped chocolate to the melted butter and whisk until smooth. Now pour the butter/chocolate mixture over your dry ingredients, whisk until smooth and set aside.

In a stand up mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the eggs and the granulated sugar until it is thick and mousse-like in texture and the color of the earliest morning; a pale sulpher sunrise swelling in your bowl, about 5 minutes.

Once your eggs couldn’t get any happier, pour your butter mixture into the eggs and with the mixer on high, whip for 30 seconds. Immediately pour the batter into your prepared cookie sheet and bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes. The cake should feel like a delicate sponge when touched with your finger. Allow to cool completely in the pan before proceeding.

For the Cheesecake Filling:

2-8ounce packages of cream cheese
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350ºF and cover the bottom of an 8” spring form pan with aluminum foil. Place prepared spring form pan into a large roasting pan and set aside.

Whip the cream cheese, sour cream and sugar on high until silken smooth. Add the eggs and whip until incorporated.

Pour cream cheese mixture into the spring form pan and then fill the roasting pan with enough water so that it reaches half way up the side of the pan.

Bake for 40 minutes or until firm to the touch in the middle.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the water bath.

In the meantime, make your chocolate disks:

Melt one 12 ounce bag of milk chocolate chips in a double boiler and then spread the chocolate out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper with an offset spatula. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. When the chocolate has set, remove from the fridge and take a ½ inch round cookie cutter and cut out milk chocolate disks. Refrigerate disks until ready to assemble your blanc et noirs.

For the Chocolate Fondant Icing:

2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup water
2 ½ tablespoons light corn syrup
3 teaspoons unsweetened chocolate cocoa powder

Pour all of your ingredients, except the cocoa powder, into a heavy bottomed sauce pan and heat until it registers 239ºF or 115ºC on your thermometer. Remove from the heat and then pour into a clean, cold bowl with the cocoa powder waiting in the bottom of the bowl. Whip until smooth and add cold water if the fondant thickens. Allow to cool completely before you begin icing your petits fours. You want your fondant to have the consistency of runny toothpaste.

When your cheesecake has cooled completely, cut out your genoise cake rounds with a 1” cookie cutter. Place a small dollop of the cheesecake on top of each round and then place one of your chocolate disks on top of that.

Now fill a pastry bag fitted with a ½ inch plain tip with the remainder of your cheesecake filling and cover each chocolate disk with a handsome dome.

Pour your chocolate fondant over the piped cheesecake filling and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 40 petits fours.