Looking Forward – Forget the Past…

In November, I joined the “Daring Bakers” which is a great group of talented people who all agree to tackle a baking project and we are all supposed to post at the same time. I already thought I was crazy tackling this during the holidays, but that’s the way I am…more things to do? Hey, pile it on! Ha!

Then, life has a way of getting in the way and my Aunt(my Mom’s twin), whom I love dearly, was faced with some life-threatening health issues in which she needed my help. She never had any children and I gladly stepped in to help with the transportation to and from the hospital, preparing meals for my guests who came along to wait in the hospital as well as several trips to her home, 100 miles away. It was draining, to say the least and our holiday celebrations were pretty much non-existent (except for the wonderful surprise party my dear husband and friends threw for me…but that’s another story). My aunt is much better now and we only have a few more non-critical surgeries to go, and things should get back to normal. Thank God!

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.

The recipe was pretty easy, in my opinion. I wracked my brain to think of something that was going to be fun and yet relevant. Then it dawned on me that January is Inaugural month and we’ve seen an unprecendented level of patriotism and pride. What would be better than to make some little flags that appeared to be flying in the wind?

I needed to get a head start and get my sugar infused with vanilla. Luckily, I had already purchased some vanilla beans to make Creme Brulee. I was pleased with the strength of the sugar after it had been “curing” for over a week. The smell is wonderful!

The amount of butter is so small, that I didn’t even get my blender out. I let it come to room temperature naturally and just beat it with a fork. The consistency was like that of cake frosting.

The rest of the process was pretty straightforward. I finally got the chance to use some of my new gadgets (my scale and egg separator), so that was fun!

I’d found the waving flag that I wanted to re-create, so I cut my stencil out of cardboard and spread the chilled batter in the slot. It was imperative that I keep a close eye on them, because I didn’t want the brown edges on mine that usually are found with tuiles. I had other plans for them.

The last step in this was to make my tapioca pudding (from scratch) and I’d have my patriotic dessert!

Here’s the finished product:

Here’s the recipe (for those of you who DARE!):

1/4 cup of softened butter
1/2 cup of sifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup of sifted all purpose flour
2 large egg whites
dash of vanilla

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 use a silicone liner (like Silpat) 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. I only baked 3 at a time so I could work on forming the cookie over a metal rod that I had prepped.

Bake in a preheated 350º oven until the edges start to turn brown. Remove the tuiles and work to shape them into your form quickly before they start to harden.

That’s it! I also made some in a cone shape but I’m still debating on what to fill them with. I’m sure they’ll be yummy though!

Thanks for being patient (all my subscribers). I’ve got lots of ideas for my next posts and of course, I’ll be bringing you the monthly challenges from Daring Bakers!