Petit four

In 18th and 19th century France, gas ovens did not exist. Large brick (Dutch design) ovens were used, which took a long time to heat up to bake bread, but also to cool down. Bakers used the ovens during the cooling process, taking advantage of their stored heat, for baking pastry. This was called baking à petit four (literally "at small oven"), a lower temperature which allowed pastry baking.[1][2]

Petits fours come in three varieties:

• Glacé ("glazed"), iced or decorated tiny cakes covered in fondant or icing, such as small éclairs, and tartlets
• Salé ("salted"), savory bite-sized appetizers usually served at cocktail parties or buffets
• Sec ("dry"), dainty biscuits, baked meringues, macarons, and puff pastries

In a French patisserie, assorted small desserts are usually called mignardises, while hard, buttery biscuits are called petits fours.

• List of French desserts

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• Garrett, Toba. Professional Cake Decorating. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2007. Page 226.
• Kingslee, John. A Professional Text to Bakery and Confectionary. New Delhi, India: New Age International, 2006. Page 244.
• Maxfield, Jaynie. Cake Decorating for the First Time. New York: Sterling Pub, 2003. Page 58.
• Rinsky, Glenn, and Laura Halpin Rinsky. The Pastry Chef's Companion: A Comprehensive Resource Guide for the Baking and Pastry Professional. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2009. Page 214.