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Thursday 29 January 2009

A lesson in French Tiles - Daring Bakers



It's Daring Bakers time again! First Daring Baker's challenge for 2009. I actually contemplated sitting this one out because time is just getting harder and harder to come by. Thankfully though, I squeezed it in Just Under The Wire!! Yes, I made these on the 27th morning (Thanks to the Chinese New Year holidays) and with the posting date on the 29th, I really made these at the last minute!

This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.


So what is a Tuile? It comes from the French and means a 'tile'. It's basically a light, dry cookie and the name is the reference to the classic tuile which is shaped around a dowel to look like a curved tile. For those of you keen to know how to pronounce these little things, apparently they are pronounced "Tweel". But I'm not French and I dont speak it either, so don't take my word for it.

These were a lot of fun to make and not terribly difficult. What I really liked about this challenge was that if not for the fact that it was a DB challenge, I would never have attempted to make these. I suppose that sums up a lot of the DB challenges - it makes us attempt things that we would normally never do!

The hardest bit about the Tuiles was spreading them thinly enough. I didn't use stencils and just simply spread the batter as thinly as I could and then rolled them up into cigar shapes.




I did try and make a butterfly by piping out some batter and then spreading it out thinly but I guess the butterfly didn't quite look as it should have. My daughter was pleased with it though and thought it was wonderful!



I paired this with Strawberries and Cream and the kids were very, very excited when I brought the dessert out and asked them to pose with it.



To say it was a hit with the children would be an understatement. They thoroughly enjoyed it and my son wanted to know what those "nice, rolled, up crunchy things" were called. Good thing I had checked on the pronunciation eh! They attacked it like there was no tomorrow...



... and then promptly proceeded to devour the entire dish! This was after lunch and here I was thinking that it could last for dessert after dinner. WRONG!



This was an extremely satisfying challenge as not only did I get to do something new but it was something that the children absolutely adored and to me, that's a winning challenge! So thankyou so very much Karen and Zorra!

Watch out for next months challenge which is being hosted by my lovely friend, Wendy and I am privileged to be Co-Hosting with here! Stay Tuned for February!!






Following is the 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 batch

65 grams / ¼ cup / 2.3 ounces softened butter (not melted but soft)
60 grams / ½ cup / 2.1 ounces sifted confectioner’s sugar
1 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 flour
1 table spoon cocoa powder/or food coloring of choice
Butter/spray to grease baking sheet

Oven: 180C / 350F

Using 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, you might want to bake a small amount at a time or maybe put them in the oven to warm them up again. (Haven’t tried that). Or: place a bakingsheet toward the front of the warm oven, leaving the door half open. The warmth will keep the cookies malleable.

If you don’t want to do stencil shapes, you 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….


41 comments:

Núria said...

Your kids are soooooo cute Dharm!!! My daughter is too old now (12) to pose for a picture...

No wonder there were no crumbs left ;D

oonsky said...

Your kids are adorable! Congrats on a job well done - looks like you had a lot of fun making the tuiles. Cheers!

Karen Baking Soda said...

I have to say that my children had the same reaction, like a vacuum cleaner: whoosh and gone!
Great job Dharm!

Di said...

Now those are some happy-looking kids. =) My two have been eating the pieces from the ones I messed up. Gillian keeps coming into the kitchen to see if I have any more "cookies" for her to eat. =)

toontz said...

Dharm-
For some reason, these little innocent-looking cookies gave me a run for my money. That dessert looks fantastic...great job!

Deeba PAB said...

What beautiful children you have Dharm...& am glad you made these tuiles in time. They look LOVELY!! My family really enjoyed them too (sans butterflies which suffered another saga of sorts). Can't wait to see what you have up your sleeve for next month! Hugs my friend...

glamah16 said...

Oh I cant wait until next month!You tuiles are perfection and the kids look like they love them.

Laurie said...

Dharm, I think your butterflies are beautiful, especially in your darling daughter's hands.

I love the pics of your kids enjoying your creation! You are so right, my friend, their smiles are the best prize of all.

If you're going to host the "Daring Bakers" next month I might gather my courage to join. Baking isn't my strength in the kitchen, but knowing I'd be in such supportive company makes it seem easier.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful tuiles, and the look on your kid's faces say it all. Everything looks and sounds delicious :)

Unknown said...

Your kids are adorable! And strawberries and cream is such a lovely combo - no wonder they ate it so fast. Yum!

Julie said...

That looks divine!!! Also, thanks for displaying the BloggerAid badge--I'd never heard of it, but they support a cause I'm passionate about. Thanks again!

Anonymous said...

Aha... you pair it with strawberry and cream too!!No wonder your kids love it just like mines :)

Meeta K. Wolff said...

great job Dharm. I think i enjoy coming here to see your kids enjoy the challenge a lot more than to see what you've done LOL! no seriously great job dharm!

Anonymous said...

Great post I really loved the pictures of your children enjoying the tuiles. This was my most enjoyable challenge and it was the simplest!! The tuiles are really very good - crisp and tasty. Like your clear style and your comments.

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

Your tuile cigarettes are perfect for the strawberry and cream.
And where would we be without appreciative kids? Though when they get critical, it can be a totally different experience altogether! :D
So what are you going to get us attempting next month, I wonder?

Katie said...

Your tuiles look great - love the giant butterlfy too. They certainly went down a treat with your children. Can't wait to see why you choose for Feb!

~Amber~ said...

I love how you always show your family enjoying the recipes you make. Great job with the challenge this month.

Lauren said...

Ooo, your tuiles look amazing, and the kids look soo happy to eat them, so they must be good =D!

Ivy said...

What a great job you did Dharm and I don't mean the tuiles but your kids. They are so adorable and from their looks you also did a great job with the tuiles as well.

Clumbsy Cookie said...

Your kids' faces really show you had a great time!

Anonymous said...

I love it when kids get really enthused about food, especially when it's both delicious and pretty healthy!

Great job on this month's challenge!

Dragon said...

The little ones seem to really like them! Great job on this month's challenge.

Alpineberry Mary said...

I love the way your children get into the challenge each month. Their excitement really shows in the pictures! :)

Anonymous said...

Glad you found time to participate. Great story, too. : )

Unknown said...

I'm glad you made the time, as I always enjoy your posts. Your kids are so cute devouring all that hard work!

fatboybakes said...

gosh dharm, i am gonna be kicked out of DBC...three misses in a row... maybe i should try making them this weekend la.

sunita said...

Your lovely kids do seem to have enjoyed the dessert, and why wouldn't they...looks so pretty :-)

breadchick said...

Dharm, I ALWAYS look forward to seeing your challenge. Not only because you always do a bang-up job on them but your taste testers are just too adorable.

I can't wait to see what you and Wendy have in store for us.

hugs,

Elle said...

What lovely little crunchy cigars. No wonder your gorgeous (they do get more gorgeous as time passes) children enjoyed them & good thing you learned the correct way to say tuiles. Strawberries and cream are perfect with these. Glad you phaser worked, too.

Shaheen said...

Beautiful tuiles and cute kids!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

The tuiles look pretty and delicate! Your kids are really cute...

Cheers,

Rosa

giz said...

The kids sure love having their pictures taken and if you add something totally delicious in front of them - tell me they're not in heaven. Your butterly - fabulous, the tuile and add whipping cream and strawberries - my goodness what's not to love.
Thankfully it was a reasonably easy challenge - i.e. didn't eat up 2 days in preparation.

Christina said...

My husband was just as excited as your kids about the tuiles :) Your dessert looks great! Sounds perfect with strawberries and cream.

zorra said...

Wonderful tuiles and cute kids!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I love the very imaginative butterflies Dharm. They would be perfect for your little girl, but it seems that everyone enjoyed them immensely.

Laurie said...

Your tuiles looks impressive and delish! I had to miss this months challenge due to time, sick kids and sick me...but I am really looking forward to February's challenge :)

Liliana said...

Your tuiles look perfect paired off with the strawberries and cream.

Your children are adorable!

Anonymous said...

Your butterflies are gorgeous! And by the look on your children's faces, I bet they were delicious!!

I can't wait to begin this month's challenge, it will be so much fun! Wonderful job and great blog!

Celia Marie (W.) B. said...

I did love the strawberry cream combo with the flavor of the tuiles. Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Unknown said...

Glad to see the kids back! Looks great!

Ceramic wall tiles said...

You have made me so hungry. That's just not fair!!

:) Claire