Grand Trianon Grand Trianon The Grand Trianon () is a "château" (palace) situated in the northwestern part of the Domain of Versailles. It was built at the request of King Louis XIV of France (r. 1643–1715), as a retreat for himself and his maîtresse en titre of the time, the Marquise de Montespan (1640–1707), and as a place where he and invited guests could take light meals ("collations") away from the strict "étiquette" of the Court. The Grand Trianon is set within its own park, which includes the Petit Trianon (the much smaller château built between 1762 and 1768 during the reign
Petit four Petit four A petit four (plural: petits fours, also known as mignardises) is a small bite-sized confectionery or savoury appetizer. The name is French, "petit four" (), meaning "small oven". In 18th and 19th century France, gas ovens did not exist. Huge brick ovens were used, which took a long time to heat up but also to cool down. Bakers used the ovens during the cooling process, taking advantage of their stored heat, for baking pastry. This was called baking "à petit four" (literally "at small oven"), a lower temperature which allowed pastry baking. Petits fours come in three varieties: