Pie Tin Templates and Template Holders

Several dessert presentations in this text require sifting cocoa powder or powdered sugar over the base of a dessert plate in a precise pattern. This technique often presents a challenge, especially in the case of large designs, where the rim of the plate may prevent you from laying the template flat against the base of the plate. In this case, not only is it difficult to make well-defined shapes but it is hard to avoid getting the cocoa powder or powdered sugar on the rim of the serving plate. These problems can occur when streaking chocolate over the base of the plate as well. Using a modified disposable pie tin, as a template itself or as a frame in conjunction with a cardboard template, is an easy and inexpensive solution (for another way to mask the plate rim when piping lines of chocolate).