The Evolution of the Pre-made desserts

[Wendy DeBord]

Well in my circumstance, I'm talking about fruit tarts for ala carte service. I"m not in a bakery position right now so they are buying for personal consumption, now. I use a wagner paint sprayer to apply.........but they just don't sell for ala carte for me. Does matter what kind of fruit I use or what else is in the tart shell (pastry cream, chocolate, frangipane, curd).

I never have liked glaze on fruit items, it's just personal preference. My chef instists I glace to extent shelf life for more then one day-otherwise I never would.

Neil-its always ready to spray? How cool!

[tan319]

I know what you mean, Wendy.

I never do a fruit tart for my menu and probably never will, just because I would hate to throw anything away.

I was thinking about this and remembered that Conticini cover story in PA&D and how when he was at Petrossian in NYC he sold fruit tarts and either put them together ala minute when ordered for dining there. For take away he gave the customer the components for assembly at home.

I think that's a great idea.

[nightscotsman]

Well in my circumstance, I'm talking about fruit tarts for ala carte service. I"m not in a bakery position right now so they are buying for personal consumption, now. I use a wagner paint sprayer to apply.........but they just don't sell for ala carte for me. Does matter what kind of fruit I use or what else is in the tart shell (pastry cream, chocolate, frangipane, curd).

I never have liked glaze on fruit items, it's just personal preference. My chef instists I glace to extent shelf life for more then one day-otherwise I never would.

Neil-its always ready to spray? How cool!

The only thing we glaze for restaurant service is a sugar free (yes, we use sugar free glaze - same machine, two hoses) mango/passion chiboust with berries on top that Cafe Bellagio sells. Almost everything else gets final assembly and plating ala minute.

The stuff we glaze for retail is never kept overnight. Whatever doesn't sell that day is thrown away and we make it again fresh in the morning.

[melmck]

Neil that glazing gun sounds so cool, it would be fun to have a tool belt with all the things we need to spray...

a bakery just opened here in Portland that sells nothing but pre-made desserts, and verbally announces that the cakes in the display are just that-- the real ones are frozen in back, just defrost... EEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWW!!! now that is sad. One point of distinction in regard to Brian's point, he IS an artisan who happens to whole-sale. the factory made crap is a different animal altogether. there is no comparison. the topic opens many cans of worms

~ chefs eliminating PCs and having cooks do desserts

~ pre-made instant stuff

~keeping things fresh and sellable ( my new fun challenge)

interestingly enough, I sell LOTS of fresh fruit tarts, 9 inch at $28; 4 inch at $4.50

I use a light spray of glaze or toss sturdier fruits in glaze then pile on in a rustic organic fashion. the random looking tarts sell even better than concentric, specifically placed fruit tarts.

also-- danish and croissant are making up about 60% of sales right now. what do ya say to that????? not so discouraging as one might think...

Brian -my only concern in getting more wholesale accounts, are they using the product within the use by date?? I don't want my stuff rotting in someones fridge and being sold under my name, I am sure this is a concern for you too.

[alligande]

As a former restaurant owner, and a pastry chef I feel my need to add my 2 cents. I ran a casual dining restaurant in a tourist town with HUGE overheads, in the begining I tried to do my own desserts, as I thought it would be to embrassing to have lousy stuff, but I could not handle the load and run a restaurant. SO...... I ended up buying in, and did I sample some crap in fact my dessert list was down to about 3 items and one of those was key lime pie we made our selves. I would loved to have had a reliable source for good wholsale dessarts that was not Sysco. So to all you pastry chefs look at the market there is from small casual restaurants that take their food seriously but will never have the budget or the space ( which was another thing my place did not have) to make in house.

Another point is the space, rent is expensive and restaurants need to have as much up front as possible and I know when I designed my own kitchen, it had to be all about the line and maximising production, and in the end I did not have station that I could even due justice to dessert at!

But I would love to have been able to buy from a small pastry wholsesaler with the same food philosphy as my own.

[bripastryguy]

Mel,

I have geared my wholesale individual line to be freezer friendly. This inturn allows for reduction in waste. But as you know when a product leaves your hands you lose control of how it is handled. I have a large bagel company using my cakes in their flagship store, sometimes they leave cakes in the revolving showcase until they look like crap. I have on numerous times done spot visits and gone in the case and removed items that to me looked un sellable (the owner thanked me and was very happy with my personal appraosch and care of "my" desserts that is why I beat out a major dessert producer for the account). So unfortunaley I have also been forced to remove my name from ceratin items unless the care is taken to showcase them correctly (e.g. removing choc garnishes with company logo, no name stickers on show boards etc...)

You have to realize that most accounts wll try and pass it off as their own and all you can do is make requests and suggestions.