Food-Service-Manual-for-Health-Care-Institutions

Food Service Manual for Health Care Institutions
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pan greasing. Baking sheets should be cooled between each use. Most cookies freeze well after
they are cooled. When time permits, several varieties should be baked at once to handle the
projected needs over several weeks or months. Cookie dough may be purchased frozen, preformed,
or chilled.
Pies and Pastries
Pie crust has few ingredients but must be in just the right proportion to produce a tender, flaky,
and flavorful crust. Pies can be made in round pans or, for greater simplicity, in 12-by-20-inch
or 18-by-26-inch pans. If large pans are used, a single-top crust makes handling easier during
service. These pies save assembly time and baking space. If individual round pans are used, pie
making can be handled in an assembly-line process.
Pastry dough should be weighed before rolling to achieve uniform crusts with minimum
waste. Various kinds of pastry rolling or forming machines can be used to eliminate hand labor.
If hand rolling is necessary, a lightly floured board should be used, and the dough should be
rolled evenly. Pie dough should not be stretched to fit the pan; some slack should be provided
to offset shrinkage during baking. Shells baked unfilled should be pricked with a fork and chilled
before baking to cut down on shrinkage. Double-crust pies should have cuts in the top crust to
allow steam to escape during baking. Brushing the top crust with milk or beaten egg produces
a golden brown color. Frozen preformed pie shells in pie tins save time and failure of product.
A wide variety of pie fillings can be made from traditional recipes or from prepared mixes
and canned fillings. Broken or irregular pieces of fruit of good quality and flavor can be added
to prepared pie fillings to give them a fresher taste.
Pastry and pies can be frozen. The quality of most pies will be better if the pie is frozen
unbaked. Most custard- or pudding-filled pies should not be frozen unless special starches for
thickening have been used in the fillings.
Fruit Desserts
Fruits make an excellent dessert offering. Cut fresh fruits can be combined in almost endless
variations to produce fresh-fruit desserts. They can also be combined with canned fruits. Varied
shapes and sizes of fruits and complementary flavors and colors should be used. Fresh-fruit
desserts should be garnished attractively, and the fruits should be kept chilled until service.
Canned fruits served as a dessert should be chilled thoroughly. Adding a garnish can dispel
the “right-out-of-the-can” look. Frozen fruits should be thawed in the refrigerator before serving.
Canned or frozen fruits can be used in crisps (that is, with crumb topping) or served warm
and with a whipped topping or a hard sauce. A fruit cobbler can be made by spreading a sweetened
biscuit dough over layers of canned or fresh fruit and baking until the top is browned.
Shortcakes are another simple yet attractive fruit dessert, made in the same way as baking-powder
biscuits but using a richer and sweeter dough. Preparation can be streamlined by rolling the
dough directly onto 18-by-26-inch pans, baking, and then cutting into squares. Two squares,
with fruit in between and on top, are stacked to build the shortcake. Whipped topping or
whipped cream is added as a garnish.
Other Desserts
Light and nutritious desserts can be made from various egg and milk combinations: puddings,
dessert soufflés, and cornstarch puddings. They are easily prepared in quantity and are relatively
inexpensive compared with many other desserts. Mixes and frozen egg products can simplify
the production of these items. (The principles and techniques for the preparation of these
foods are described in the sections on eggs and milk earlier in this chapter.) All desserts in the
category should be stored in the refrigerator until they are served.
Fruit-flavored gelatins are the basis for many easy and attractive desserts. For an appealing
look, plain gelatin can be congealed in shallow layers and cut into cubes. Cubes of various
colors can be combined for serving, with or without the addition of whipped topping. Partially