Who you calling a tuile?

I took a French cookie class at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts a few weeks back. It was pretty awesome. The main focus was on macarons and I was eager to learn the proper technique from a master. The methods that Chef Gomes used were so different from what I had been using from the interwebs. Mind blown.  It was fun and I am going to be making some macs soon to post on here.

Chef also made other French cookies with us, like the almond tuile.  The tuile is a delicate and simple cookie that usually has a curved shape. The name means "tile" in French and the cookies are named that because roof tiles in France are curved.  The recipe calls for only a few basic ingredients: eggs, sugar, almonds, flour.  You could add a variety of flavors and even make them savory. Wild!  I whipped some up with a basic vanilla bean flavor. They came out pretty nice for my first try.  I used a plastic flower former to get my curvy shape. ha.

I used a hearty dose of raw slivered almonds in my tuiles. They were pretty crispy after they were shaped, which is ideal. They softened up a bit after I packed them up, but the flavor was still nice. So maybe these need to be eaten right away.  I had no problem doing that to about 6 of them. :)

Recipe: (adapted from Chef Delphin Gomes)

• 4oz granulated sugar
• 4 oz sliced almonds
• .5 oz flour
• 2 eggs
• .5 oz melted unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

       A handy kitchen scale is needed for this recipe. Combine sugar, almonds and flour in a bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla bean paste to the dry ingredients and fold in the melted butter. Line a baking sheet with a silpat mat. Drop the batter by teaspoon full onto the mat and flatten into a round shape with a fork. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 6-8 minute until the edges are browned, the center looks set and you can smell sweet almond goodness.  Remove the pan from the oven and use an offset spatula to slide each cookie off the sheet and place into a curved mold or drape over a rolling pin.  The cookies dry quickly so you need to act fast to get a nice shape but be careful not to burn your little paws. These can be enjoyed as is or dipped in chocolate, filled with cream, crumpled over ice cream...oh the possibilities!

Mmmmm texture!