Cake Recipes: Petits Fours 05 by Recipe Cottage

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	Petits Fours 05

		PETITS FOURS 1 recipe Swiss Roll 12-ounce jar apricot jam, pressed through sieve 12 ounces marzipan 4 tablespoons grenadine syrup 16 ounces confectioners' sugar 2 tablespoons light corn syrup Shelled pistachio nuts (to decorate) Spread apricot jam over cake and trim off about 1/2 inch of cake on all sides. Roll out the marzipan and cover the top of cake. Cut the cake into 1/2-inch squares. To make icing, stir the grenadine syrup and confectioners' sugar together well; stir in the corn syrup and stir until well blended. (Icing should run off the spoon.) Place half the Swiss Roll/marzipan squares on a rack and pour half the icing over. Repeat with the other half. Decorate each Petit Fours with a pistachio half before icing is set. Let stand until icing sets. Makes about 5 dozen Petits Fours. SWISS ROLL 6 eggs, separated 3/4 cup superfine sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup cake flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons butter, melted Bake the Swiss Roll at least a day in advance so it cuts easily without crumbling. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat egg yolks in large bowl until foamy. Add superfine sugar and beat until thick and pale yellow in color. Beat in vanilla. Sift flour and salt over egg yolk mixture and fold in thoroughly. Fold in melted butter. Beat egg whites in separate bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold beaten whites into egg yolk mixture. Lightly grease a 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan. Line pan with parchment or waxed paper. Grease paper. Spread cake mixture as evenly as possible in prepared pan with long, thin spatula. Place in 350-degree F (170 C) oven and bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly pressed with a fingertip. VARIATIONS: Cover the little squares with vanilla icing. To make vanilla icing, omit the grenadine syrup from the icing recipe above and increase the light corn syrup to 4 tablespoons. Add 4 tablespoons hot water. For variety, you may tint this white icing any color with food coloring. Petits Fours can be made in a variety of ways: with a single layer of cake or several layers of sponge cake sandwiched with marzipan, jam, or pastry cream. They can also be cut into various shapes, such as diamonds, rounds, ovals, triangles, or hearts. DECORATING IDEAS (to be implemented after icing has set): Pipe a flower outline with dark melted chocolate. Fill in the outline with melted milk chocolate. Pipe a dab of white icing in the center. Pipe two lines of white icing down the length of the Petits Fours. Decorate with a crystallized violet and a pistachio half. Pipe a flower stem with melted chocolate. Use a crystallized rose petal for the flower and pistachio halves for leaves. Use a small tinted, molded marzipan flower and strips of candied citron for leaves. Decorate with piped lines of melted chocolate. Pipe delicate lines of melted chocolate and decorate with a quartered candied cherry. Sprinkle with ground pistachios. Use a strip of candied pineapple and pipe a delicate pattern of melted chocolate. Dip one side of a walnut or pecan half in chocolate. Dip the chocolate-covered half in ground pistachios. Pipe a delicate lattice pattern of diagonal melted chocolate lines, using both dark chocolate and milk chocolate. Decorate with candied coffee bean. Pipe melted chocolate for flower stem and one leaf. Use a crystallized violet petal for the flower and a pistachio half for the other leaf. Use a tinted, cut-out marzipan flower. Decorate the center of the flower with colored sugar. Decorate with clusters of crystallized violet petals. Decorate with a piece of candied orange peel and piped lines of melted chocolate. Place halved candied cherry in center and surround with dots of melted chocolate. Place a whole hazelnut in center and sprinkle ground pistachios around hazelnut. Pipe geometric lines of melted chocolate off-center. Decorate with candied coffee bean.