January challenge was really sooo light... Tuiles ????? yes it was.
There was three given recipes , I chose the main one which it was the tuiles' one,,, The mission was :- use one of the batters given, - shape it either prior (using a stencil) or right after baking and- pair it with something light; fruit, sorbet, a mousse, or maybe even a fruit soup, think glazes or dips…..Bend it, shape it, anyway we want it!
I made a stencil at home , I bought a plastic sheets , printed a dragonfly pictures from one of the colouring pages sites, then cut it and make my stencil for this lovely insect.......
Following is a recipe taken from a book called “The Chocolate Book”, written by female Dutch Master chef Angélique Schmeinck.Recipe:Yields: 20 small butterflies/6 large (butterflies are just an example)Preparation time batter 10 minutes, waiting time 30 minutes, baking time: 5-10 minutes per batch65 grams / ¼ cup / 2.3 ounces softened butter (not melted but soft)60 grams / ½ cup / 2.1 ounces sifted confectioner’s sugar1 sachet vanilla sugar (7 grams or substitute with a dash of vanilla extract)2 large egg whites (slightly whisked with a fork)65 grams / 1/2 cup / 2.3 ounces sifted all purpose flour1 table spoon cocoa powder/or food coloring of choiceButter/spray to grease baking sheetOven: 180C / 350FUsing a hand whisk or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (low speed) and cream butter, sugar and vanilla to a paste. Keep stirring while you gradually add the egg whites. Continue to add the flour in small batches and stir to achieve a homogeneous and smooth batter/paste. Be careful to not overmix.Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. (This batter will keep in the fridge for up to a week, take it out 30 minutes before you plan to use it).Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with either butter/spray and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. This will help spread the batter more easily if using a stencil/cardboard template such as the butterfly. Press the stencil on the bakingsheet and use an off sided spatula to spread batter. Leave some room in between your shapes. Mix a small part of the batter with the cocoa and a few drops of warm water until evenly colored. Use this colored batter in a paper piping bag and proceed to pipe decorations on the wings and body of the butterfly.Bake butterflies in a preheated oven (180C/350F) for about 5-10 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Immediately release from bakingsheet and proceed to shape/bend the cookies in the desired shape. These cookies have to be shaped when still warm, we might want to bake a small amount at a time or maybe put them in the oven to warm them up again. Or: place a bakingsheet toward the front of the warm oven, leaving the door half open. The warmth will keep the cookies malleable.If we don’t want to do stencil shapes, we might want to transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip. Pipe the desired shapes and bake. Shape immediately after baking using for instance a rolling pin, a broom handle, cups, cones….
This batch made a lot of goodies.
I made milk and rice pudding , I flavored it with cardamom, mistika and orange blossom water.
I topped it with different kinds of fruits " pineapple, kiwi, strawberries" and a ball of vanilla / strawberry ice cream and a simple drizzle of honey .
It was like a full option dessert treat .
And the dragonfly did not leave me to eat it in peace !!!!!
I divided the dough to 1/3 and 2/3 the 2/3 for the ground of the pie , I used a tart mould with removable bottom, and then pour the staffing, then mixing the topping and spreading it over the staffing..I rolled the remaining dough and shaped it using a special roll and put it on the top of my pie , made an egg wash , let the pie for 20 minutes then baked it!!
