| Biscotti: |
Crispy Italian
cookies
typically
flavored with
anise. |
| Cucciadati: |
(also
cucidati)
The Sicilian
word for
buccellati
or "little
bracelets."
These Italian
delicacies
contain a
filling of mixed
fruits, nuts,
chocolate and
spices all
wrapped in a
sweet cookie
dough. |
| Fondant: |
A confection used as a
filling or coating for
cakes and pastries. It
is basically sugar and
water cooked until it
can be formed into a
soft ball. Corn syrup is
typically added to
prevent the mixture from
becoming "grainy" while
cooking. At the right
temperature, fondant may
be rolled or molded. It
can them be used as a
flat, smooth base for
decorating wedding
cakes.
The word fondant
comes from the Latin
fundere, meaning "to
melt." |
| Ganache: |
A rich icing made of chocolate and cream
heated and stirred together. It is also used also as a
filling for cakes or pastries. |
| Gluten: |
A
protein
found combined with starch in
wheat,
rye and
barley.
Gluten
is
responsible
for the
elasticity
of
kneaded
dough
which
allows
it to be
leavened
and
produces
the "chewiness"
of baked
products
like
bagels. One method of producing gluten-free products is to wash out the starch from the flour of grains. This process consists of creating a simple dough of flour and water and then rinsing it with plain water and kneading it until the rinsing water remains clear and free from starch and bran.
A small
percentage
of the
population
has a
disorder
that
causes a
reaction
to
gluten.
These
individuals
rely on
life-long
gluten-free
diets to
prevent
flare-ups
of the
illness. |
| Marzipan: |
A
confection consisting primarily of
ground almonds and sugar. It is often
rolled into thin sheets and glazed for
icing cakes and is traditionally used in
wedding cakes and Christmas cakes. |
| Petit Four: |
A
small cake generally
eaten at the end of a
meal. Typically, petit
fours are shaped in 1 inch squares and
are about 1.5 to 2 inches
high. They consist of
layers of cake and
butter cream frosting,
covered with white or
pastel-colored fondant
and decorated with candy
roses or other sugar
embellishments. The term
petit four
translates from the
French words meaning
"small oven." |
| Tiramisu: |
An Italian dessert made from
(among other ingredients) Lady Fingers,
espresso, mascarpone cheese, eggs,
marsala wine, cocoa and rum. The name
tiramisu translates from Italian into "pick-me-up," referring
to the caffeine present in the dessert
that comes from the espresso and cocoa. |
Some of the above definitions
are paraphrased from
Wikipedia.