13 Must Have Ingredients for the Culinary Professional

DGF (Distribution Gastronomie Formation) products are culinary showstoppers for a reason! Their line includes nut and praline pastes, chocolate products, specialty sugars, pastry cream, fruits in syrup, and glazes. Made with high quality ingredients, DGF’s ingredients will meet (and surpass) all of your culinary needs. Here are 13 of our favorite DGF products that will change your menu and life!

#1: Apricot Halves in Light Syrup 

                                             

Pictured: DGF Apricot Halves baked in a rustic Apricot Almond Galette.

DGF’s Apricot Halves in Light Syrup are juicy, vibrant, and EXACTLY what you want to add texture and color to your next dessert!

These apricots are hand packed and arranged in a ring, reducing breakage while in the can. No more worrying about throwing out unusable product based on packaging! With approximately 80-90 apricot halves in every 5.39 lb can, this sweet fruit is cropped at the perfect period and is bake-stable and freeze-stable.

Popular Applications:
Use on tarts, verrines, cakes, for decoration, and in compotes! This fruit in syrup is a staple for any bakery kitchen.

#2: Glucose Syrup

Pictured: Strawberry Pate de Fruit using Strawberry Puree with Glucose Syrup.

Our DGF Glucose Syrup can be used as a sweetener, thickener, and moisture-retaining agent in confectionery creations like pate de fruit, ice cream, sorbet, dough, drinks, candy, cake, cookies, bread, and more. Talk about versatile, right?! Imported from France, this glucose syrup is GMO free and made from wheat.

Advantages:
Glucose Syrup helps prevent and stabilize sugar crystallization, will prevent dryness, and give a smoother, softer, and fresher product. It also has a lower moisture containment and dextrose equivalent.

Chef’s Tip: if you’re using a small quantity, the best way to grab it is with wet hands. Glucose can be very sticky!

Available sizes: 2.2 lb pail and 15.4 lb pail. 

#3: Trimoline Invert Sugar Syrup

Pictured: Trimoline Invert Sugar Syrup does not crystallize, helping to preserve the softness of confections and the texture of ice cream, sorbet and more. 

Trimoline is an invert sugar syrup used in place of sugar! DGF’s Trimoline does not crystallize and preserves the softness of your pastries, extending the shelf life of your hard worked creations. The trimoline maintains aromas and also improves dough texture!

Advantages & Applications:
Our Trimoline is certified kosher and great for adding tenderness and moisture to baked products like madeleines or brioche. Can also be used for jellies, fudge, taffy, sorbet, and ice creams. A.K.A, you need to order this product ASAP!

#4: Chocolate Batons

Pictured: DGF Chocolate Batons serve as excellent fillings for classic Pain au Chocolat.

Calling all chocolate croissant lovers, bakers, and sellers!!! Made from high-quality French chocolate, DGF’s chocolate batons are great for filling European-style breakfast pastries (Viennoiserie) including croissants, Danish and other puff pastry.

Advantages For Chefs:
These batons are all natural, kosher certified, and bake-stable. Their easy to melt format saves you time, allowing your pastries to pile up high to accommodate eager chocolate-filled dessert connoisseurs.

Available sizes: 165 ct and 300 ct.

#5: Pastry Cream Mix

Pictured: Our Instant Pastry Cream Mix makes the perfect filling for our ready-to-fill pastry, such as eclairs and tarts.

ONE STEP PASTRY CREAM- the quickest and easiest pastry cream on the market! DGF’s Instant Cold Process Pastry Cream Mix is an authentic, French pastry cream with rich, smooth flavor. Its powder form can be mixed with either cold water or milk, saving you time and labor.

Advantages:
The pastry cream is freeze-stable and bake-stable, proving to be incredibly versatile in multiple formats.

Applications:
It can be used for fillings for pies, tarts, cakes, choux pastry, and more.

When we say quick and easy, we mean it. This is the recipe:

Recipe:
With a beater, mix 375-400g custard cream mix with 1 L of cold water or milk on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to medium for 3 minutes to get a smooth, light and shiny textured cream. After 10 minutes, you will get consistent cream which can be cooked or frozen.

Chef’s Tip: Use milk instead of water for a richer pastry cream.

#6: Cocoa Powder- Extra Black

Pictured: Cocoa Powder Extra Noir is great for adding high-quality flavor and color to pastry, like this Chocolate Espresso Pave.

A perfect ingredient for bakery and pastry shops that want to add a high-quality flavor and look to their confections.

Applications:
For a sultry, dark look, DGF’s Extra Black Cocoa Powder adds a beautiful cocoa taste and a black color to a variety of desserts, including icings, buttercream, mousse cakes, and more.

#7: Apricot Glaze

Pictured: Loaded Berry Graham Tarts topped with Clear Fix Apricot Glaze.

See and taste the power of Apricot Glaze! If you need a trustworthy glaze that doesn’t cause your fruit to weep, this product is your saving grace.

Advantages:
This glaze contains 9.5% apricot puree and gives a wonderful brilliance to fruit tarts. It maintains a good consistency, even after freezing. Not only that, but it enables a better conservation of the fruit!

You can add up to 30% water or fruit juice and apply with a brush or spray gun.

#8: White Pastry Icing (Fondant Patissier)

Pictured: White Pastry Icing flavored with our Lavender Flavor Paste, drizzled on top of pound cake and topped with strawberries.

This sweet, White Pastry Icing is ideal for your pastry and confectionery creations.  Ready-to-use straight out of the pail, this fondant patissier is very flexible in use, saves you time, and does not crack when frozen.

Benefits:

• Ready to use
• Flexible texture
• Consistent quality
• Dazzling whiteness, beautiful brilliance
• Ideal for pastry and confectionery
• Does not crack when frozen
• Time saving
• Can be warmed for a thinner texture, perfect for dipping

Uses:
Eclairs, choux, candy, entremets, and other confections.

#9: Chestnut Spread

Pictured: Chestnut Spread makes the perfect compliment to various sweets, like these Praline Granola Bars.

Made with 50% chestnuts, this DGF product offers a pronounced chestnut flavor with a spreadable, piping bag friendly texture.

Applications:
The paste is a great compliment to your sweets when used as a filling, flavoring, mousse, Bavarian cream, or even custard.

Advantages:
Ready-to-use straight out of the can! Add this nutty beauty to your bakery, hotel, or restaurant to create confections your customers will go nuts about!

 #10: Candied Chestnut Paste

Pictured: Creamy Blackcurrant Mousse decorated with dots of Candied Chestnut Paste.

55% chestnuts! DGF’s Candied Chestnut Paste is a must have ingredient in the pastry, confectionery, and ice cream industry.

Applications:
This golden-brown paste with chestnut pieces is natural, GMO-free, and particularly well suited for flavoring, inclusions, and making bonbons!

#11: Pitted Bigarreaux Cherries

Pictured: Pitted Bigarreaux Cherries make the perfect finishing touch to any dessert.

These are definitely eye catching! Pitted and bright red cherries in a light syrup.

Applications:
Cropped at the perfect period, these cherries are bake stable and great for décor and baked goods. Make a cherry pie, tarts or verrine, or even put a cherry on top of your best seller ice cream sundae. This gorgeous fruit is the answer!

#12: Whole Baby Pears

Pictured: Whole Baby Pears in Syrup make a great addition to seasonal pastries, like this Viennese Almond Loaf.

Sweet, juicy, and a whole lot to love in a small size! DGF’s Whole Baby Pears come in a 1 lb can with 14-18 pears inside. Their small pack size reduces product waste and ensures freshness! Once opened, you are welcomed with a beautiful, sweet aroma. 

Applications:
Use the pears to top off a pear cake, pie, or tart. The pears are firm, making them ideal for decoration as a whole fruit, or cut into quarters.

#13: Royaltine Crushed Biscuits



Pictured: Give cakes a satisfyingly subtle crunch with these Royaltine Crushed Biscuits from DGF.

Advantages & Applications:
Fine crushed biscuits are versatile and can be used for all sorts of confections, chocolates, pralines, and cookies, making it a very economical product that can be easily incorporated into preparations. It also adds a pleasurable crunchy texture to dessert bases and looks fabulous when used to decorate entremets!

Are You A DGF Product Lover?
If you’ve tried these products, we bet you love them as much as we do! But if you haven’t, you don’t have to take our word for it…try them yourselves and see how they will benefit all your culinary needs!

DGF is the primary source in France for high-quality ingredients and convenience products for culinary professionals in the pastry and confectionery industries. Located just outside of Paris, DGF is known for the expertise provided by its in-house team of professional pastry chefs, who have blended innovation with a dedication to preserving the quality and tradition of French Patisserie. Their products include nut and praline pastes, chocolate products, specialty sugars, pastry cream, fruits in syrup, and glazes.

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