Mighty challenge

Days are becoming longer now and somehow this tiny little sign on every day gives excitement that the summer and warmth is somewhere out there on the way. Also, when it comes to food, I feel like eating more juicy and light foods. Lot of fruit and vegs, although its not exactly season for it, but even citruses and kiwis will do.

The ending of 2008 was very rich, which I did enjoy, but you know, summer coming up and all I am happy that, 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.

Now this was the challenge of them all so far. I read the recipe and figured I will do it in a flash. Batter was easy enough, but the challenge came when those little babys came out of the oven. They stayed too thick, were nice and brown on the edges though, but when it came to shaping, disaster. They were too soft and lacked crispiness, so it was impossible to shape them, they springed back. I had decided to go with a simple round shape that I simply roll into a stick to go with a dessert. Reality wasn't so pretty, I did try to shape them into a stick, that became more like a sausage. First batch was a disaster, luckily I had enough batter to give it another try and this came out somewhat similar to what I had imagined. Oh well, "not all days are brothers", we say...

Following is a recipe taken from a book called “The Chocolate Book”, written by female Dutch Master chef Angélique Schmeinck.

Tuiles

Preparation time batter 10 minutes, waiting time 30 minutes, baking time: 5-10 minutes per batch

65 grams softened butter (not melted but soft)
60 grams 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 sifted all purpose flour
1 table spoon cocoa powder/or food colouring 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. Be careful to not over mix.
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 butter 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 baking sheet and use an off sided spatula to spread batter. Leave some room in between your shapes.

Bake in a preheated oven (180C/350F) for about 5-10 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Immediately release from baking sheet 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. Note: place a baking sheet toward the front of the warm oven, leaving the door half open. The warmth will keep the cookies malleable.