Pastryscoop

A soft candy made from butter, sugar, and flavorings. It is pulled as it cools to give it its characteristic chewy consistency.

An egg-shaped tropical fruit native to South America. The fruit is fragrant and extremely tart and, therefore, must be cooked with sugar in order to balance its flavor.

A sour-sweet fruit, native to Asia and parts of Africa, which is very popular in East Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine. It is sold as a liquid concentrate, a canned paste, or in the form of dried pods or powder.

A sweet but slightly tart citrus fruit derived from a cross between the tangerine and pomelo. The fruit is in season from November to March.

Derived from the cassava plant, tapioca is a starch used as a thickener for soups, fillings, and sauces. It is available in the form of granules, flakes, and pearls.

Tapioca in its large, pellet-like form, used to make pudding.

A shallow pastry crust filled with custard or fruit. Depending on the recipe’s ingredients, a tart filling can be cooked in the crust or added to a shell that has already been blind baked.

A very dark cherry with a sweet, juicy flesh. It is in season from May to September.

A French dessert made by lining a pan with butter, sugar, and apples, and topping it off with a pastry crust. After baking, the pan is inverted so that the caramelized sugar and juices form a sauce for the tart.

The Italian term for “truffle.”

The method by which chocolate’s cocoa butter crystals are stabilized, thereby making chocolate more shiny and pliable. Chocolate can be tempered using a few different techniques, all of which involve heating chocolate to a specific temperature, then cooling and reheating it. Commercial chocolate will lose its temper once it has been melted and must be re-tempered for use in candy or decorations.

In season from December though March, the temple orange is most likely a cross between an orange and tangerine. It is oval in shape, with a dark orange, loose peel and a sweet, but tart, flavor.

A test for sugar syrup describing the point at which a drop of boiling syrup dropped in cold water forms a soft two inch thread. This stage corresponds to between 230˚ and 234˚ F on a candy thermometer.

A traditional Swedish pastry made from immersing a heated timbale iron in batter, then cooking it in hot fat. Sweet timbales are most often served with fresh fruit, ice cream, or whipped cream.

A traditional English dessert made from sponge cake pieces that have been soaked in wine or brandy, layered with whipped cream or custard and almonds. Consuming too much of the dessert was thought to make one tipsy.

Translated as “pick me up,” tiramisù is an Italian dessert made from coffee-marsala soaked ladyfingers or sponge cake, layered with sweetened mascarpone and grated chocolate. The term also refers to an Italian liquer flavored with coffee and almonds.

A chewy or crunchy candy made from sugar, cream (or water), butter, and sometimes nuts. It is cooked to a temperature ranging anywhere from 260˚ and 310˚ F, depending on desired consistency.

The original chocolate chip cookie, as created in 1930 by Ruth Wakefield of the Toll House Restaurant, near Whitman, Massachusetts. Ruth added chopped pieces of chocolate to a standard butter cookie recipe, and a legend was born.

In Italian, the word for “tart,” “pie,” or “cake.” The same term in Spanish translates as “cake,” “loaf,” or “sandwich.”

A European-style cake, made from ground nuts or breadcrumbs, eggs, and sugar, which contains little to no flour. Tortes are usually divided into multiple layers and filled with jam or buttercream.

An Italian frozen dessert consisting of sweetened whipped cream (or sometimes ice cream) flavored with sherry or rum and sprinkled with chopped almonds or macaroon crumbs.

The French term referring to the technique in the making of puff pastry by which the dough is rolled out, folded into thirds, then rolled out and folded again.

The syrupy by-product of sugar cane processing. Dark treacle, which is somewhat similar to

molasses, contains a greater proportion of the impurities derived from the refining process. Light treacle, which has a less bitter flavor, is sometimes referred to as golden syrup. Treacle can be used in place of or in addition to sugar in baking recipes.

A traditional English dessert consisting of sponge cake or ladyfingers soaked in sherry and layered with jam and custard. The trifle is covered with whipped cream, fresh or candied fruit, nuts, or grated chocolate, then chilled for several hours before serving.

A clear orange-flavored liqueur.

A nutritious rye-wheat hybrid with a sweet and nutty flavor. Since it is very low in gluten, triticale must be combined, generally using a 50/50 ratio, with wheat flour in order to produce yeast doughs.

A confection made from melting together chocolate, sugar, butter and/or cream, with liquers, liquors, spices, nuts, fruit purees, and other flavoring ingredients. The cooled chocolate is rolled into small balls that are coated with cocoa powder, chopped nuts, or a thin layer of tempered chocolate. They were so named due to their resemblance to the prized fungus.

A deep-sided round pan with a hollow center tube, designed to evenly disperse heat during baking. Sponge cakes and angel food cakes are often baked in tube pans.

Named after the French word for “tile,” a crisp cookie which is shaped around rounded object (e.g., a rolling pin) or specialized mold while still hot and pliable, then allowed to cool into a shape resembling a curved roof tile. Although they come in many different flavors—for instance, orange, lemon, and vanilla—the classic tuile is flavored with almonds.

A crisp cookie that is baked then gathered into a flower, or tulip, shape while still warm and placed into a mold to cool. The cookie forms a small cup, which can be used to serve ice cream, mousse, fruit, or dessert garnishes.

A coarse, raw sugar that has been steam cleaned. It tastes faintly of

molasses.

A raw sugar which has been steam-cleaned. The light brown crystals have a mild molasses flavor.

A candy popular throughout the Middle East. Gelatin, cornstarch, sugar, honey, and fruit juice are heated together, sometimes with the addition of chopped nuts and pink or green food coloring. The mixture is allowed to set, then cut into squares and dusted with powdered sugar.

Half-moon or triangle shaped pastries that have been filled, most often with fruit, then fried or baked.

In Italian, “all fruits.” The original term refers to a sweet preserve made from a variety of chopped fruits and brandy, but now is more generally used to describe desserts that contain a mixture of diced, candied fruits.