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petit four

/ˌpɛdi ˈfɔər/
IPA guide

Other forms: petit fours

A petit four is a delicate, bite-sized, cake, often elegantly frosted. You might see petit fours at a fancy bakery or on the dessert menu at a French restaurant.

The French culinary term petit four literally means "small oven," a reference to the 19th-century tradition of baking pastries as a brick oven cooled down. Higher-heat cooking was grand four, or "big oven." In France, the category of petit fours covers various tiny desserts, including fondant-glazed cakes, chocolate-dipped fruit, and miniature tarts. These elegant, bite-sized treats are a perfect end to a meal and are as beautiful to look at as they are to eat.

Definitions of petit four
  1. noun
    small (individual) frosted and ornamented cake
    see moresee less
    type of:
    cake
    baked goods made from or based on a mixture of flour, sugar, eggs, and fat
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