Desserts Pies, Cakes, & Cookies
Pastry Desserts Pies, Tarts, and Turnovers All prepared with… Pastry dough: TONS OF USES Ingredients in pastry dough… Flour- Use for structure. Fat – Makes pastry tender by inhibiting gluten development. Water – Provides moisture – only need a small amount. Salt – Contributes flavor – can be left out if desired. Preparation Microwaving can be successful – watch temperature and time.
Handling Pastry Dough Please DO NOT!!! High quality pastry is.. Over mix when adding liquid. Use rolling pin meanly Stretch pastry when fitting in into the pie plate. High quality pastry is.. Tender and flaky. Light and evenly browned. Melt in your Mouth Good!!!
Kinds of Pies Fruit Cream Custard Chiffon 2 Crust (apple, rhubarb) 1 Crust – Thickened pudding mixture, usually have meringue topping (Banana Cream, Coconut) Custard 1 Crust – Milk, eggs, sugar, & sometimes more ingredients (pumpkin) Chiffon 1Crust – Gelatin and beaten egg whites & whipped cream – chill to set.
Kinds of Cakes Shortened Cakes Unshortened Cakes Chiffon Cakes Contain fat (butter, margarine, shortening) Tender, Moist, & Velvety Yellow Cake, Pound Cake Unshortened Cakes Do not contain fat (foam – leavened by air) Light & Fluffy Angel food, Sponge Chiffon Cakes Cross between shortened and unshortened.
Cake Ingredients Flour Sugar Eggs Cream of Tarter Liquid Salt Fat Give structure Sugar Sweetness, helps tenderize gluten in flour Eggs Improves flavor & color, gives additional structure, sometimes a leavening agent. Cream of Tarter Stabilizes egg proteins in unshortened cakes. Liquid Provides moisture. Salt Provides flavor. Fat Tenderizes the gluten. Leavening Agents Gives the RISE (baking soda or baking powder). Flavoring Not essential, adds flavor.
Principles of Preparing Cakes Measuring Use CORRECT proportions. Mixing Don’t over or under mix – follow directions! Over mixing shortened cakes = tough cake Under mixing unshortened cakes = small volume Baking Grease shortened cake pans. DO NOT grease unshortened cake pans.
Mixing & Baking Methods Quick Mix Method Measure the dry ingredients into a bowl. Beat the fat and part of the liquid with the dry ingredients. Add remaining liquid and eggs. Microwave Baking Good moisture, less browning – microwave 1 layer at a time. Conventional Method Cream the fat and sugar together. Beat the eggs in. Combine the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture alternately with any other liquids.
Baking Shortened Cakes Pans in the oven should NOT touch! Check for doneness by touching the cake with your fingertip (bounce back test) or with a toothpick. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes or more before trying to remove it from the pan. Characteristics of a good shortened cake include… Small, fine cell walls.
Preparing Unshortened Cakes Characteristics… High volume Spongy cell walls Testing for Doneness… Gently touch the cracks of the cake. They should be dry and no imprint should remain. Examples Angel Food (egg whites) Sponge Cake (egg yolks)
Kinds of Cookies Stiff Dough Cookies Soft Dough Cookies Rolled Cookies Roll and cut with cookie cutters. Sugar Cookies Refrigerator Cookies Form into a long roll, wrap & refrigerate – slice & bake. Pinwheel Pressed Cookies Use a cookie press. Spritz Molded Cookies Shape with hands. Crescents, Balls, etc. Dropped Cookies Drop or push off of spoon. Chocolate Chip Bar Cookies Spread evenly in a pan & bake. Brownies
Cookie Ingredients… Flour Sugar Liquid Milk, Juice Fat Butter, Shortening Salt Eggs Leavening Baking Powder, Baking Soda Extra Ingredients Chocolate, Nuts, etc.
Microwaving Cookies Not effective for cooking dozens of cookie – great for a few. Works well for bar cookies. Cook on medium power. Use a microwave safe pan! Test doneness with a toothpick.
Storing Cookies… Storing Crisp Cookies Storing Soft Cookies Container with a loose fitting lid. To retain crispness, they must remain dry. Storing Soft Cookies Air tight container. NEVER store soft and crisp cookies together! Freezing is ok.
Freshening Stale Cookies Soft cookies that have gotten hard… Place a piece of bread or slice of apple in the container. Crisp cookies that have gotten soft… Place cookies in the oven at 300˚ for a few minutes.