Pastry and Dessert: Menu Creation, Techniques, and Modern Trends

This assignment delves into the essential aspects of pastry and dessert creation, covering menu considerations such as texture, color, and descriptions, as well as the importance of a well-designed menu. It explores the use of standard recipe cards (SRCs) for consistent food quality and reduced labor costs. The assignment emphasizes the significance of proper food storage, including environmental factors like temperature, humidity, and atmospheric gases. It also discusses flour storage, fruit selection for garnishing, and critical aspects of food preparation, including hygiene and handling. Furthermore, the document addresses modern dessert trends, food intolerances, and alternative ingredients like soy products. It provides insights into pastry techniques like folding, piping, spreading, kneading, and reducing. The assignment highlights the use of thickening agents, proofing methods, and the importance of safe food handling practices. Finally, it also covers historical pastries, accompaniments, and the impact of technology and equipment on dessert garnishing.

Introduction pastries
Student name
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Q1.
There are a number of considerations that need to be put in place during the menu creation. Such
considerations include;
Texture
Texture of the deserts is an important consideration in the menu creation .In the case of different
textures, there is excitement of the senses and increased anticipation of the taste upon vision among
the customers.
Colour
Colour of the desserts has an amazing psychological impact among the customers as well as bringing the
desserts to life. This can be achieved through for example addition of berries and raspberry coulis just to
mention a few.
Description
The terminologies and spellings used to describe the desserts is important that they be correct and
accurate. This communicates to the customers about the keenness and attention to the details the
restaurant has towards ensuring quality services. This consequently wins the customers trust.
List of items
The menu should preferably contain the shortest list possible and be easy to navigate through.This gives
the customers positive as well as relaxing experience.
Quality
Kind of materials used to design and make a Manu are very crucial as this conveys the quality of the
restaurant in general. For instance casual restaurants have simply laminated stock menus where as five
star restaurants may have leather menu bounded with a foil finish.
Q2.
Standard recipe card abbreviated as SRC contain information required for making food orders. The card
is usually assimilated by restaurants upon being tested and approved by chief chefs. The card may
consist a number of elements such as description of the dish, food/beverage quantity, portion size to be
served to a single customer, type of ingredients and the specific mounts, preparation process,
temperature at which the food is to be prepared, precise time for the food to be ready for serving.
Information of this kind that is readily available brings about a numbers of important achievements. The
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standard recipe guarantees consistency in food-type and quality yield due to usage of the same kind of
ingredients every time such a dish is prepared. The recipe also leads to realization of reduced labour
cost since any of the employees can prepare a variety of desserts, cakes, breads and pastries as all is
required is to follow the instructions. The ultimate benefit of the recipe is that of foreseeing the budget
while maintaining the quality and type of items.
Q3.
Storage of food products such as deserts, cakes, pastries, breads and their ingredients like flour requires
care and substantial knowledge about the environment and its factors. Environmental Factors such as
temperature, relative humidity, light and gaseous composition of the atmosphere surrounding the food
products affects greatly the life span or the shelf life of the food and the ingredient.(Ken, 2014)
Temperature
Normally room temperature of about 22°C stands as a reference point for most of food products.
Decrease or increase of this temperature leads to reduction or increment of the shelf life. Therefore for
longevity of shelf life of the ingredients as far as temperature is concerned, the coolest place like a
basement is preferable.
Relative Humility
Generally a moisture content of 10% is required for long term storage of food products. Thus drier
ingredients that meet this requirement will have prolonged shelf life. Also the environment in which the
ingredients are to be stored should be drier and cooler for maximum shelf life.
Atmospheric gases
Gases such as nitrogen and oxygen present in the atmosphere impact greatly on the shelf life of most of
the food products .For instance oxygen brings about oxidation of most the components in food
ingredients thus causing reduction in shelf lives. An environment free from oxygen is advised for
prolonged shelf life. On the other hand nitrogen is the opposite of oxygen as it will offer maximum shelf
life for ingredients.
Light properties
Wavelength as a property of light plays an important part on food’s shelf life. It has the ability set off
and speed up changes in the nutritive quality of foods. Thus the light intensity and how long the pastries
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are exposed to the light during the display period are very paramount. This has to be taken into
consideration to avoid the discoloration and lose of flavor.
Microbiological effects
Microorganisms present in the atmosphere bring about changes to the pastries. They affect the quality
of pastries by growing on them, forming spores and eventually secreting metabolites that are very toxic.
Q4. Explain how flour should be stored to ensure optimum freshness?
Wheat flour to be precise has high water adsorption properties. Flour stored in the freezer at 0F has the
capability of remaining fresh for at least one year.
Q5
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Before deciding on which fruits to pick for garnishing check for whether it’s well ripen. Also edible fruits
are better as they are easy to remove leaving no toxic substances. The flavor of the fruits should not
clash with other ingredients in the meals. Colour should be the conspicuous and appealing.
Q6.
Preparation
All working apparatus such as dishwashers, worktable, wiping cloth should be highly be kept clean
always by use of sanitizing solution. Also water to be used for washing the utensils and preparing
desserts should be above 77 degrees Celsius so as to eradicate harmful bacteria that might be present.
Personal hygiene of the involved parties for instance washing of hands, keeping short and clean nails.
The head should be covered and avoided from touching during the handling of the food.
Decoration
Perishable garnishes like fruits should be avoided but instead use cream, milk and cheese. In the cases of
using eggs, pasteurized ones are recommended since eggs are highly causative bacteria agents. Also the
used garnishes should be clean and from a reputable source.
Handling
This may entail serving in which use of tongs or spatula among other utensils to hold desserts. In cases
of using gloves, they should be changed after every one hour or less or after being used to perform
another task.
Storage
Apply temperatures of 70 degree Celsius for the hot desserts and below 5 for the cold ones.
Use airtight packing materials where possible
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Cover the food with a foil
Keep away chemicals and personal belongings from desserts.
Main intolerances that are common in today’s society include
Lactose intolerance which is the inability to digest the sugar in dairy products
Gluten intolerance caused by a protein common in wheat and barley.
Chemicals such as salicylates in natural plants used to make spices and many other products. Sulfite is
also a chemical used to preserve foods like backed goods.
Food additives (Jullian k, 2018)
Q7.
Folding –a process of mixing two substances with different densities with an aim of retaining air bubbles
and avoiding over mixing
Piping-is a process of using a piping bag for decoration and squeezing pastries onto platters or baking
sheets. It’s important in achieving decorations such as icing.
Spreading – the process of thinning out of butter, oil and glaze on pastry food surfaces such as crust by
the use of a pastry brush. The process achieves uniformity in the spread and avoids wastage of the
ingredients.
Kneading – is a process performed during the making of bread and pasta dough. The process aims at
enabling proteins in the flour (glutenin and gludian) to form strands upon expanding. The strands are
important in enhancing bread texture and avoiding having heavy and denser bread.
Reducing – the process of concentrating a dish like a sauce or stock through boiling. The excess water
evaporates leaving behind ingredients .Used to achieve a more flavorful and thick dish.
Q8.
Modern fat free desserts include:-
Bananas with Caramel Sauce made by simply drizzling caramel sauce without sugar on a banana. It has
less than one hundred and fifty calories.
Strawberry-Lime Smoothie which is a blend of frozen strawberries and lime pie together with fat free
milk. Sugar is used for extra sweetness.
Angel Food Cake is naturally free from fat made from egg whites, flour, and sugar. Has the lowest
calories of 257 per one hundred grams.
Pumpkin cheese cake- made from blending pure pumpkin puree, fat free cottage cheese, and Pumpkin
Pie spiceground cinnamon and apple cider vinegar.
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Watermelon Slushies- made by mashing or blending sliced, frozen, seedless watermelon
Granola bars- made by first whisking ripe mashed banana, applesauce, honey egg white, cinnamon,
vanilla extract and salt. Then oats, coconut flakes, cranberries and hazelnuts that are well dried are
added and the mixture wrapped in a parchment paper and baked.
A range of desserts in relation to food intolerance lowers chances of allergy as people have more
options to choose from .Some people’s systems respond differently to food types (food allergy) .This
comes about through irritation of nerve endings by the chemicals contained in certain foods leading to
swellings, frequently running or stuffed up nose, mouth ulcers, stomach pains and bowel irritations.
Q9.
Soy products are replacing dairy products like milk, yogurt, ice cream and sour cream. Alternatives of the
above products like include soy milk composed of 109 calories, 5 grams of fat, and 7 grams of protein
and 8 grams of carbs. Soy milk yogurt of the following properties; 80 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 6 grams
of protein and 6 grams of carbs. (Kerri-Ann, 2017)
Q10
These are pastries with historical backgrounds
The French Huguenot Torte (1965) –a cake type suitable for anniversaries since it was created 100 years
The Gooey Butter Cake – (1930) suitable for school functions as its foundation was based on inspiration
by roommate.
The Gibassier- a bread type whose origin is clear with pierced holes on it. Suitable for charismas
celebrations since it’s produced only during Christmas seasons.
Q11.
The accompaniments may be in form of spices or herbs and include:-
Allspice- the dried spice berries can be in whole or ground variety. Suitable for spice cakes and cookies
Anise-the seeds of anise integrate a licorice flavoring to cakes and breads. The spice can be whole seeds
or a powder.
Cardamom- used mostly in Indian dishes like breads, spice cakes, and cookies.
Cinnamon-the spice is made from bark of a cassia tree.It gives a sweet, hot flavored spice for desserts
such aas cakes, cookies, custards, and many fruit pies.
New technology and modern equipments have revolutionized the field of dessert garnishing .for
instance use of liquid nitrogen to freeze the fruits unlike drawing the juice from the fruits has made it
easy to use the most perishable fruits even after an overnight. Other important equipments include solid
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utensils, sharp knives and an ice cream scoop. They have increased efficiency as well as cutting down
time for preparation.
Q12
Thickening agents increase the stickiness of sauces with insignificant changes in qualities such taste.
Commonly used thickeners are;
Starches –are commonly used in sauces because they don’t increase fat content in the sauce nor mess
with it flavor and the fact that they freeze well. The starches used are wheat flour, cornstarch, tapioca as
well as arrowroots.
Arrowroots function well in acidic and dairy free sauces.
Q13.
Proofing is the ultimate mount of molded bread dough followed by baking. This occurs at a precise rest
phase. Proofing can also be termed as fermentation only that it’s very particulate and not generalized.
Two types of yeast used are active dry yeast and instant yeast. Active dry yeast is first dissolved in the
warm water to be used to break down the pellets before addition of other ingredients. Instant yeast on
the other hand is used along the ingredients, no dissolving needed.
Q14.
1. Kneading degree
2. Type of flour used
3. Amount of water added
Q15.
Chipped crockery is unsafe to use since the act as breeding grounds for pathogens like bacteria. Also it
has exposed surfaces of lead which might be eaten and cause chronic health issues like gastrointestinal
complications.
Q16
This allows the fat to soften so that during pressing, it rolls into desired flakes of dough layers. Also this
allows formed glutenin protein to relax leading to tender pastry.
Q17
In pastry production, higher initial temperatures ensures the melting of fat as well as drying of the
pastry off water which leads to formation of gluten networks which are important in the final shape of
the product. Later reduction of temperatures avoids the boiling over of the filling.
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Poulos, Barbara Fairchild ; photography by Con (2010). Bon appétit desserts the cookbook for all things
sweet and wonderful.
Kansas City, Mo.: Andrews McMeel Pub. p. 23. ISBN 9781449402006. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
Ruhlman, Michael (2007). The Elements of Cooking: Translating the Chef's Craft for Every Kitchen.
Valastro, Buddy (2011). Baking with the Cake Boss.
http://www.thebakerynetwork.com/french-culinary-baking-termsBeckett, Lynlee (2015). "Cake
Decorating: History, Overview and Techniques
Chin, N. L., Rahman, R. A., Hashim, D. M., & Kowng, S. Y. (2010). Palm oil shortening effects on baking
Performance of white bread.
Haylock, S. J., & Dodds, T. M. (2009). Ingredients from milk.
Kerri-Ann J, MS, RD (2017).Nondairy Substitutes for 7 Common Dairy Products
Le Gibassier, Bread Baby, December 10, 2008
Peter Reinhart (2001). The bread baker's apprentice: mastering the art of extraordinary bread
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