Petits Fours

In 19th-century France, there were no gas ovens, only a single type of oven a huge cabin made out of stone, underneath which afire would be lit. These types of ovens took a long time to get going, became really hot for some time, then took a long time to cool. In addition, they did not have a setting to modify the heat. In fact, they only had two settings. The first setting was the grand four, the big oven, where the fire was at its strongest. This setting was used to bake the large cakes, sponges and fermented items. The second setting was the petit four, the small oven, when the fire started to die out and the heat began to dissipate.