Section 15: Desserts, Dessert Preparations, and Promotion

Vocabulary flashcards covering dessert classifications, pastry items, frozen treats, plating elements, and promotional methods from Section 15.

Torte

A rich cake that is usually layered with creams, jams, or fruits and is iced with a sweet icing or glazed and garnished.

Soft Cookie

A cookie prepared from dough that contains a high percentage of moisture.

Crisp Cookie

A cookie prepared from dough that contains a high percentage of sugar.

Meringue

A mixture of egg whites and sugar that can be used as an alternative to a traditional pie crust or baked to a crisp consistency.

Pavlova

A low-fat dessert option consisting of a crisp meringue filled with whipped cream and fruit filling.

Crêpe

A light and very thin French pancake made from a batter of eggs, milk, and flour, often filled with fruits or pastry cream.

Custard

A dessert preparation that does not contain flour and instead relies on eggs, sugar, and cream for structure.

Cheesecake

A baked custard that typically features a graham cracker or cookie crust and can have either a light or dense texture.

Sabayon

A light and foamy custard prepared by whisking egg yolks, sugar, and white wine over a double boiler into a silky foam.

Mousse

A rich and airy foam lightened with whipped cream, whipped pasteurized egg whites, or both.

Ice Cream

A frozen dessert made from cream, butterfat, sugar, and sometimes eggs that provides a velvety texture high in saturated fat and calories.

Frozen Yogurt

A frozen dessert made from yogurt, sugar, and sometimes gelatin that is lower in fat than ice cream but high in sugar.

Baked Alaska

A composed frozen dessert made with a sponge cake soaked in a liquor-flavored syrup, topped with ice cream, covered with Italian meringue, and commonly flambéed tableside.

Simple Syrup

A sweet mixture made by heating water and sugar until the sugar dissolves.

Sorbet

A light and refreshing fat-free and dairy-free frozen dessert made from combining pureed fresh fruit and simple syrup.

Sherbet

A frozen dessert made by combining pureed fresh fruit, simple syrup, and milk, giving it a creamier texture than sorbet.

Confection

A small sugar-based food item high in empty calories, such as candy, chocolate, caramels, toffee, fudge, lollipops, marshmallows, truffles, and candied nuts.

Four Key Components of Plated Desserts

The structural elements of a plated dessert presentation, consisting of a main item, a crunchy element, a sauce, and a garnish.

Main Item (Plated Desserts)

The focal component of a plated dessert (such as cakes, mousses, tarts, puddings, or pastries) that is typically the largest in terms of size and calories.

Cheese Plate

A fine dining dessert course that generally includes three to five types of cheeses, each featuring distinct textures and flavor profiles.

Signature Dessert

A dessert promoted to guests as a unique dining experience, ranging from a seasonal pie to an intricate trio of desserts.

Tasting Portions

Small dessert portion sizes offered by chefs to allow guests to finish their meal with something sweet without overindulging.

Dessert Tray

A tableside sales tool displaying a variety of attractively plated desserts to guests based on the concept that diners eat first with their eyes.