In the 1800s, an oven was little more than a big stone cupboard with a fire burning beneath it. Temperature regulation was practically non-existent under these conditions. As a result, French bakers only had two oven settings: hot and cooling down.
Much of the heat was retained after the fire beneath the stone oven was extinguished. As a result, it took a long time for these ovens to cool down. When the oven still had some latent heat, the cooling process was referred to as "petit four," or "small oven." The retained heat was just enough to cook small pastries individually.
Eventually, the pastries took on the name of the oven in which they were baked. As baking equipment and technology improved, the petit four dessert remained a popular delicacy in France and began to expand over the world. Petit fours are popular all across the world, from Parisian patisseries to New York bakeries.
Petit fours are versatile French desserts that you can enjoy during any celebration or your tea breaks. They are delicious with a soft texture. The dessert is so delightful that you will keep coming back for more.
Petit fours are small bite-sized pastries or confections that are provided as an after-meal treat. Petit four means "small oven" in French, and alludes to the very small, secondary oven in which the pastries were baked.