The Four Components of a Plated Dessert Part I

The Four Components of a Plated Dessert

-Main Item
-Sauce
-Crunch Component
-Garnish

It is widely accepted that there are four components of a plated dessert: The main item, the dessert sauces, the crunch component, and the garnish.  A plated dessert should have all of these items, but if it lacks any one of these items (except for the main item) it can still be a plated dessert.  It is also widely believed that all of the components should be edible, and many chefs also believe that each component should be eaten.  That second point is widely debated because many chefs like to create sugar decorations and structures for presentations which are technically edible but are never actually eaten.

Before describing each core component it is important to point out a plated dessert presentation’s purpose.  A plated dessert has three main goals (though it may have more).  The first goal is to satisfy the customer.  This goal emphasizes flavor above all else, though you can argue that the actual visual design of the plate also satisfies a customer.  The second goal is to complement the venue’s theme.  If you are at an Asian restaurant and they serve Tres Leches cake with white chocolate cowboy hats as a garnish, it may look nice but it doesn’t really work well for the restaurant.  This goal emphasizes the visual, and fun and creative expressions of a dessert continue to bring customers back.  The final goal is to make a dessert that is affordable in the terms of the restaurant.  This is in terms of both complexity and price.  A dessert that is too complex will put too much stress on the kitchen staff when it needs to be reproduced and a dessert that is too expensive will never be purchased by the customer.  The price point should make sense though so the restaurant doesn’t lose money if the dessert is priced too cheaply.

The Main Item – The main item of a plated dessert is the actual dessert itself.  The main item as a finished product should weigh between three and five ounces but it is not unusual for it to weigh as much as 8 ounces.  The main item should never be so large that is over

The main item can be anything such as a slice of pie, a mini tart, a cluster of cookies, custard. Here the main item is a slice of turtle pie.

whelming.  If served in a restaurant for example it should be a nice sweet ending.  However, if served in a dessert café it is expected to be on the larger side, since that will be the only meal a guest will have there.

 The main item should be the main focal point of the dessert presentation.  This reassures the guest’s choice and prevents the customer from being distracted from all the other components of the plated dessert.  In other words, the slice of cake (or whatever the dessert is) is the most important part of the dessert and should not be over whelmed or lost among the other components.  The main item should have taken longer to prepare than any other component in the presentation.  It should also be the main source of flavor for the presentation while the other components contrast and complement it.

The other components should be used with just as much care as the main item.  They should be purposeful and well thought out.  An intelligent customer can easily figure out which parts are necessary and which were just used as fillers and could be offended at the professionalism and integrity the venue lacks.  In other words, don’t just throw caramel sauce or a cookie into the dessert because a plated dessert should have a sauce and a crunch component.  The other components have a purpose and should be used in that manner.  They should also be visually appealing and help guide the guest’s eyes to the main item, though flavor is always the most important role of any of the components.

The Sauce – A plated dessert should have up to two sauces but if tastefully approached more can be used.  Overall the sauces should not weigh more than one to two ounces with the exception of a flooded design.  Sauce is very important for dry items like pies and cakes but a sauce can add to any dessert.  If you’ve read the section on common dessert sauces then you know sauce is a complicated category in itself.  Since there are so many different kinds of sauces the combination of flavors, colors, and textures is almost endless – but as

Plated linzer tart slice made by a team in one of my classes. The two sauces here are creme anglais and raspberry sauce. Notice that raspberries are used to help identify the secondary sauce. Also notice that the plate is flooded, which is accepted for very dry desserts like a linzer tart.

emphasized before each of these should be expressed tastefully and they should make sense to the dessert.  If you are serving a flan, a kiwi puree may not be a good way to go even if it does add color to the dessert.  If you are serving a sticky gooey dessert, a rich caramel sauce may not be a good direction – a smooth sauce may help balance out the stickiness.

 The sauces used should be about the same consistency.  This is so the sauces don’t run into each other.  This effect is called bleeding.  The sauces should be able to sit next to each, and even inside one another, and hold their own shape.  This allows for dessert sauces to be manipulated like paint and create fun designs.

Some dessert presentations may lack a sauce depending on what vessel it is served in, though these desserts should be very moist in nature.  Some have the sauce poured right on top – as in the case of an ice cream sundae for example.  Some desserts even make their own sauce such as flan.

Crunch Component – A crunch component is exactly how it sounds.  It is an added component that adds a crunch to the dessert.  This is especially important to soft desserts like custard and ice cream.  It is most commonly used when the main item lacks flour though it can be used to enhance any dish whether it has flour or not.  The main idea behind a crunch component is to add contrasting texture to a dessert.  Consider being in room with flowers.  Eventually you stop smelling the flowers because your nose gets used

Here is a slice of white chocolate mousse cake made by my team in school. Note that white chocolate mousse cake is very soft and even though it has a cake (flour) component it still needs a crunch component. Here we used almond lace cookies to provide that crunch. Notice too that the sauce on the plate matches the sauce on the top of the cake, and the second sauce was used to pipe chocolate dots on top of the cake which mirrors the cake layer.

to the smell.  The same feeling can happen with a dessert which is why contrasting components are just as important as complimentary ones.  A nice crunch here and there awakens the mouth so the dessert can be enjoyed at its max – from first bite to last bite.

 Crunch components are usually a dry decorative cookie, such as a tuille or biscotti, but anything can be used such as nougat.  Tuille is a very popular crunch component because it is easy to make, its flavor is easy altered, and it can be shaped into various shapes – even three dimensional shapes.  When it comes out of the oven and is still hot it is pliable and can be molded into a variety of shapes.

Garnish- The garnish is the final component of a plated dessert.  This broad category can be just about anything.  Common garnishes include fresh mint leaves, powdered sugar,

This almond tart has several garnishes including fruit peel, mint leaves, chantilly cream, and a chocolate butterfly. The tuille flower is a crunch component but because the main item has crunchy toasted almonds it may be considered more of a garnish in this instance.

chocolate piping, fruit, chocolate and sugar work, and sorbet.  Since the garnish category is so broad in nature, it allows the chef to add to the depth and complexity of the dessert.  However, a garnish should be used with restraint just as much as it should be used tastefully.  A garnish that is over used loses its effect and can ruin a dessert.  The most commonly over used garnish is the mint leaf.  Yes it has a refreshing flavor and adds a bright green to desserts but anybody can use a mint leaf.  A pastry chef should push his boundaries and use his creativity to find a garnish that works better than a mint leaf.