Preparing and presenting dessert

A dessert is usually a sweet course or dish like fruit, ice cream, or pastry served at the end of a
meal.

THE IMPORTANCE OF DESSERT

 Dessert balances out a meal and gives closure to a meal.
 Eating dessert is an opportunity to experience different flavors and textures that you cannot
get from other foods like vegetables, meats, and fruits.
 Preparing deserts gives you an opportunity to be creative by discovering and making
interesting mixtures that you may not have thought of.

TYPES OF DESSERTS AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS

 Fruits-best and simplest dessert because it is nutritious, appetizing, and easy to prepare and
serve.
 Cheese-this is another excellent dessert that is ready to serve.Cheese differs depending on
the kind of milk used, the kinds of cheese-making procedures, the seasonings, and the
ripening
processes. Each variety has a distinct character, a special appeal, and particular use.

Types of cheese based on consistency are:

a Soft—a. unripened cheese/b. ripened
b Semi-hard—a. ripened by mold/b. ripened by bacteria
c Hard—a. with gas holes/b. without gas holes

 Gelatins-these are easily prepared, economical, and vary in many ways. Gelatin is
marketed in two forms.First, the unsweetened, granular type that must be softened in
water before use, and the fruit gelatin to which flavor, color, and sugar already been
added.
 Custards-baked and soft custards vary in so many ways. Creamy, delicate, baked custards
may be served in their baking cups or may be unmolded and served with fruit garnishes
or dessert sauces.

 Puddings—a sweet and usually hot dish made with pastry, flour, bread, rice, and often
fruit. Puddings are relatively simple to prepare with varied sauces. These are classified as
cornstarch puddings sometimes called blancmange, rice puddings, and bread puddings
 Fruit cobblers-these are not fruit pies. They have a depth of two or three inches and are
topped with biscuit dough rather than made with pie crust. They may be served either hot
or cold.
 Frozen desserts-these are desserts made by freezing liquids, semi-solids, and sometimes
even solids. They may be based on flavored water, fruit purées, milk and cream, custard,
mousse, and others.

a. Ice cream-smooth frozen mixture of milk, cream, sugar,

b.Sherbets and ice made from fruit juices, water, and sugar. American sherbet contains milk
and cream and sometimes egg whites. The egg whites increase smoothness and volume.
Ice contains only fruit juice, water, sugars and sometimes egg whites.
c. Frozen soufflés and frozen mousses— chilled mousses and bavarians contain whipped
cream, beaten egg whites or both are folded to give lightness and allow the dessert to still
be frozen in an ordinary freezer.

 Baked desserts-these are desserts made by mixing and putting ingredients in an oven.
These include cakes and muins a mixture of flour, eggs, sugar, 01l, baking powder, and
flavorings); sweet breads such as banana bread and raisinbread (a mixture of flour, sugar,
oil, baking powder, and favorings); and cookies such as chocolate chip cookies (a
mixture of flour, eggs, sugar, 01, and flavorings).\
 Fried desserts-these are desserts made using a deep frying process. This process involves
filling a large pot with hot oil and placing the food in it.Deep-fried desserts include
doughnuts, butchi, banana fritters, and turon.
 Pastries—these can be light, flaky bread with an airy texture or unleavened dough with a
high fat content. Pastries can be eaten with fruits, chocolates, other sweeteners, and are
often served and eaten with tea.
 Miscellaneous desserts-these are desserts that do not fit into any category like cheesecakes.
Cheesecakes resemble tart but with custard filling. Desserts with prepared fruits like
flaming bananas foster and cherries jubilee are fruity desserts with syrup and alcohol
sauce. This sauce is lit at the table before eating as a flashy presentation to end the meal.

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT IN PREPARING DESSERTS

 Measuring cups and spoons-individual measuring cups for dry ingredients, glass measuring
cups for liquids and measuring spoons for ingredients used in small quantities.

 Mixing bowls-come in different sizes used to mix ingredients.

 Spatula—used to level off ingredients when measuring and to spread frostings.
 Citrus knife a two-sided, serrated. edge blade used to section citrus fruits.
 Paring knife a short, concave with hollow ground used to core, peel, and section fruits and
vegetables.
 Kitchen shears-used to open food packages, cut tapes or strings from packaged foods, or
remove labels or tags from items.
 Scraper—a rubber or silicone tools used to blend or scrape food from bowls; can be metal,
silicone, or plastic egg turners or flippers.
 Spoons-can be solid, slotted, or perforated and made of stainless steel or plastic.
 Temperature scales—used to measure heat intensity. Different thermometers are used for
different purposes in food preparation like meat, candy,
Whisks for blending and mixing-made of looped steel piano wires twisted together to
form the handle and used to whip eggs or batter and blend gravies, sauces, and soups.
 Wooden spoons-made of hard wood used for creaming, stirring, and mixing.
 Baking molds and pans—-made of aluminum or other non-stick materials.
 Cookie cutters—made of metal or plastic and available in a wide variety of shapes that are
useful to cut cookies and decorate sheets of dough.
 Pastry bag/sacà poche formerly made ofplastic or waxed fabric but presently disposable
material is preferred since they do not need to be cleaned after use.
 Baking sheets different kines of baking sheets are used for cooking. Heavy sheets are
important to use to achieve even browning and keep items from burning before baking is
completed.
 Colander-comes in plastic, aluminum, and stainless steel with feet to hold it above a
surface. It is used to let water drain from a product like when washing fruits and
vegetables and draining pasta.
 Dishers/scoopers—used for portion control and ease of shaping or dropping bakery items.
 Ladles—used for portion control or to move liquids.
 Pancake turners used to move tarts to their boards or platters by placing one on each side to
lift the tart and move it into place.
 Pastry brushes come in a variety of widths and sizes that are useful for washing down the
sides of pans, brushing four away, applying glazes, and more. It is best to use natural
bristles because plastic bristle brushes can melt on a hot pan.
 Equipment
  Equipment are more complicated tools that may be small electrical appliance such as a
mixer or a large, expensive, power-operated appliance such a range or a refrigerator.

INGREDIENTS USED TO PREPARE DESSERTS

 Sugar-may be used to sprinkle over fruit, beaten into egg yolks for custards, or into whites
for meringues. Many desserts use sugar syrup which involves boiling sugar and water to
the desired temperature.
a. Granulated sugar is used in most recipes.
b. .Caster sugar is best for meringues and some cakes because it dissolves more
easily.
c. Confectioner's sugar or icing sugar is used mostly for dusting the top of desserts.
d. Brown sugar is commonly used in hot sauce as it produces a rich caramel flavor.

 Gelatin—used to set many cold-molded desserts. like the base for jellies, set creams, and
mousses. Many desserts are prepared using commercial leaf or powdered gelatin. Gelatin
may be plain or flavored and colored for effect.
 Egg yolks-may be mixed with flavorings, sugar, and cream or milk to make custards. Take
eggs out of the refrigerator before use so they are at room temperature. This way they
will whisk up better and incorporate more air.
 Egg whites—these should be fresh and A-grade quality. When raw egg whites are beaten,
air is trapped in the mixture in the form of bubbles. Egg whites beaten to soft peaks
support soufflés

 Fruits —perfect ripe fruit provides the basis for many desserts.
 Fruits may be pureed, baked, or poached and used for pies, souffe, and puddings.
 Whip cream-this ingredient is often used as decoration or accompaniment for both cold and
hot desserts and may also be one of the recipe ingredients. Whipped cream may also be
used as an effective layer for trifle. It may be combined with rice, sugar, and milk to
make delicious rice puddings.
 Batters-this simple mixture of flour and water is used to make crepes and pancakes. Batter
is also used to coat fruit for fritters.
 Nuts-nuts are available whole, ground, roasted, or caramelized They are an important part
of dessert cookery as they provide flavor for creams and ice creams.

PLATING AND PRESENTING DESSERTS

PRINCIPLES IN PRESENTING DESSERTS

 Avoid monotony. Variety and diversity in textures and the elements of taste make for
interesting food.
 Contrasts are as important as harmony. Avoid extremes and imbalance.
 Food that comes from the same place. Time/season or location usually works together.
 Fresh and ripe rules every time.

PLATING DESSERTS
Here are some simple tips for plating desserts effectively and beautifully.
 Be creative with color. A splash of color can bring desserts to life.
 Combine textures. Different textures excite the senses giving an anticipatory sense of the
pleasures to come.
 Compose your plate as you would a painting.Experiment to see what looks and feels right
to you.
 Consider the vessel. Consider the experience of eating the dessert when choosing the type
of plate.
 Contrast temperatures. Combining temperatures can be interesting but consideration should
also be made depending on the dessert.
 Have a focal point. Use a focal point to make your plating interesting.
 Let it be dramatic. Use your imagination to add interest to your dessert presentation.
 Stand your dessert sturdily.
 Garnish with care. Keep in mind how the garnish will function on the finished plate.
 Be consistent. Make sure design and serving size is uniform for multiple and individual
plates.

GARNISHING DESSERTS
 Garnishing desserts is the easiest thing to do because there is no need for extensive recipes
or fancy equipment.
 Glaze-glaze and glace are two different things.Glace refers to the shiny red cherries you
find on the top of a Black Forest while glaze is the shiny top coat on a fruit tart or a
simple pastry. It adds shine and makes your desserts glam.

 Chocolate curls-keep a slab of cooking chocolate in the refrigerator and let it harden.Using
a sharp knife, carefully and slowly pull the blade of the knife towards you, keeping the
motion long and steady to have a delicate curl.Gently drop the curls into a bowl and
refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes.

 Cocoa powder/Icing sugar—a simple dessert can be topped with sifted cocoa powder to
create a classic dessert.
 Caramel filigree caramel filigree is made by drizzling castor-sugar on a silicon baking
sheet and baking at a low temperature (160°) for a few minutes.

ITEMS THAT CAN BE USED AS GARNISH

 Tuiles-thin cookies that can be shaped in numerous ways—with a stencil, spread onto a
silicone baking sheet, combed, piped, or spread onto a textured flexible baking mat—and
then shaped while still warm.

 Meringues (hard—can be made with a common or Swiss technique and must be dried in a
low-temp oven for 12 to 36 hours.

 Sugar-pulled sugar is prepared by cooking sugar syrup between 155°C and 160°C (310°F
and 320°F) and then cooling, coloring, folding, and stretching it into various shapes such
as ribbons or bows.

 Caramelized sugar- sugar syrup is cooked between 165°C and 185°C (330°F and 365ºF),
depending on how dark you want the caramel to be.

 Isomalt sugar—a special type of sugar which can be cooked to the same temperature as
caramel without coloring.

 Chocolate this garnish can be prepared as chocolate curls, fans, and cigarettes by spreading
a thin layer of tempered chocolate onto a marble slab and then shaping once partially set.

 Marzipan/rolled fondant-this garnish can be rolled and cut out into shapes and figurines or
used as bases.

 Filo pastry-can be buttered and layered with flavors such as nuts, seeds, cocoa powder,
herbs, and spices added between layers or cut into shapes and made into cups and baked

 Choux paste can be piped or combed into long strands and dusted with seeds or nuts before
baking.
  Puff pastry-can be rolled into sheets and used as a base or cut and twisted to form straws
and allumettes.

 Cheese-this garnish is made by carefully sprinkle grated hard cheese and bake until crisp,
approximately 5 to 10 minutes at 175°C (350°F) on a baked sheet. It can be broken into
shards when cool.

 Dried fruit-this garnish is made by firm fruits sliced thinly and soaked in sugar syrup with
lemon juice briefly before drying in a low temperature (95°C or 200°F) or dried in a
dehydrator or oven on a silicone baking sheet for several hours.

 Rice noodles rice or other noodles can be deep-fried briefly and tossed with cinnamon
sugar.

 Candied zest-citrus peels can be poached in sugar syrup and then cooled and coated in
finely granulated sugar.

 Candied nuts and brittles-this garnish is made by heating sugar syrup to the hard crack
stage (148°C to 155°C or 310°F to 330°F) and adding toasted

 Berries and fruit-berries and other fruits can be used fresh or dried to make fruit leather or
powder.

 Cookies-sugar cookies and shortbreads can also be used as garnishes. Cookies can be made
from sweet dough, tart dough, etc.

 Sponges-different types of cakes and sponges, such as genoise, angel food, japonaise,
joconde, and baumkuchen sliced thinly and cut into different shapes. Caviar and other
interesting garnishes can also be made with the reverse spherification method.

SAUCES
A sauce is a flavored liquid blend of ingredients that adds flavor and enhances the appearance of
food.
desserts.
They give an entirely different appearance, flavor, color, and moisture to Kinds and Varieties of
Sauces
 Rich sauce is well-suited a simple dessert.
 Light sauce is suited to a rich dessert.
 Fudge is a soft confection made of butter, sugar, and chocolate. It is a delightful contrast to
a cold cornstarch pudding or to vanilla ice cream.
 Hot sauces can be made just before they are to be used.
 Cold sauces are cooked ahead of time, then cooled, covered, and refrigerated to chill.

Thickening Agents for Sauces

 Starch
 Eggs
 Flavor
 Cornstarch
 Cream
 Rice

CATEGORIES OF DESSERT SAUCES

 Custard sauces —vanilla custard sauce, chocolate, or other flavor may be added for variety.
 Fruit purees-are purees of fresh or cooked fruits sweetened with sugar with other flavorings
and spices added sometimes.
Syrups-includes products as chocolate sauce and caramel sauce.

FOOD PACKAGING

Packaging is the art and technology of protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use.

*OBJECTIVES OF PACKAGING
Product packages protect products from damage during transit from manufacturer to the retailer
and also prevents damage while the product sits on retail shelves.
 Physical protection-from shock, vibration, compression, temperature, etc.
 Barrier protection-from oxygen, water vapor, dust, etc.
 Containment or Agglomeration-from efficiency like biscuits or candies.
 Marketing to encourage potential buyers to purchase products
 Security-made with improved tamper resistance to deter tampering or have tamper evident
features to help indicate tampering
 Convenience-with features for convenient distribution, handling, stacking, display, sale,
opening reclosing, use, dispensing, and reuse
Portion control to divide commodities fouseho derve packages o more suitable sizes for
individual use and households

DIFFERENT PACKAGING MATERIALS

Packaging material is essential because it protects products from potential damages that can
affect its productivity, performance, and sales.
 Aluminum best used for beverages like juices, soft drinks, beer, canned perishable foods,
and some baked foods.
 Plastic —versatile food-packaging material that comes in the form of custom bags; used
for bread, frozen goods, snack foods, and resealables like cheese. Plastics bottles are used in
drinks and flavorings, cooking oils, and condiments. Plastic trays are used for fresh or frozen
meats or fish; plastic films are widely used as liners in other types of packaging.Metal-used in
packaging canned foods: tin is used to package canned foods. Metal can be separated by magnets
and should be recycled at all times.
•4. Cardboard—light weight, reasonably crush-proof, and ecologically sound since they are
manufactured wood pulp. They can be used for salt, nuts, snack foods, candies, cocoa powder,
spices and some cooking fats,dairy products, and frozen foods.Glass-its weight and shape may
present transport and storage difficulties but it is frequently used for preserve foods such as jams
and honey and other consumable goods such as sodas, beer, and wine.Cotton—a favorite fabric
to use because it can be re-used as many times as the material withstands washing and easily be
marked to indicate the contents of the bag. Calico is an inexpensive closely woven, cotton fabric
with a high recyclable potential and can be used as a wrapper for flour, gains, legumes, coffee
beans, and powdered or graduated sugar
7. Leaves—banana or plantain leaves are the most common and widespread leaves used to wrap
foods such as certain kinds of cheese and confectionery. Pan leaves are used to wrap spices and
are an excellent solution to wrap quickly consumed products as they are cheap and readily
available.

METHODS OF FOOD PACKAGING

Home canning
—1s the process of preserving fruits, vegetables and
meat by packaging them in glass jars and applying heat to the jars to destroy organisms that
would create spoilage.
Processing methods for home canning
 Boiling water bath canning-used for high acid or acidified foods like fruits or properly
picked vegetables.
 Pressure canning-used for low-acid foods like meat, seafood, poultry, dairy products, and
vegetables.
d Freezing food-freezing can be done in a variety of methods.Vegetables should be
thoroughly clean and cooked. To completely preserve food, ensure that packaging is airtight to
prevent freezer burn which can ruin the food.
e Canned food—a method of preserving food where the food contents are processed and
sealed in air tight containers that prolonges their shelf-life from 1 to 5 years or longer under
favorable circumstances.
f Foil packaging Aluminum foil provides a complete barrier to light, oxygen, moisture, and
bacteria. It allows the sterile packaging of a wide variety of food like dried fruits, baked goods,
or grain products and drink and is used as an alternative to traditional canning methods.
Nano technology-this is a new innovation in commercial food packaging that allows thinner and
biodegradable packaging which is a good way to store food as well as environment-friendly.

LABELING
packagineline is any witen, die label, or dispays communication on the
product's packaging or the product itself.
LABELING PACKAGED FOOD
Packaged food must be labeled. Food is packaged if the food establishment bottles, cans, cartons,
wraps or bags the product and makes it available for self-service.
The label on a food package must inform consumers what is inside the package. There are five
parts of a food label:
 Identity (name of food)
 Net quantity of contents
 Ingredient list, including major food allergens
 Business name and address
 Nutrition facts

HOW TO PACKAGE FOOD

 Place the food you plan to sell in its appropriate packaging.
 In case of baked products, wrap them in plastic wrap then slide the wrapped goods into
cellophane bags and tie shut with twist-ties.Consider packaging them in boxes with
plenty of padding such as bubble wrap and packing peanuts If you are shipping the baked
goods.
 Make the packaging visually appealing.