This month Daring Bakers challenge hosted by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf was tuiles. There were four different recipes given to choose from including a savory one. First, I had a solid intention to make them all. Then, I waited, and waited a little bit longer… , and then some urgent matter came up…, and I ended up doing the challenge the night before the due date. I basically, fixed it from what I had at home. Procrastination is definitely not a virtue.
The tuiles recipe I used is adapted from “The Chocolate Book” by Angélique Schmeink. I have to say I was surprised how well they retained their crispiness compare to other recipes I tried before. I baked vanilla and chocolate leaf-shaped tuiles, and made some hazelnut brittle leaves as well. I served the cookies with the mousse which was a simple combination of a chestnut puree, mascarpone, whipped egg whites, and rum; I added some gelatin to set the mixture and turn it into mini-tortes. The crust was ground hazelnuts, chocolate cookie crumbs, melted chocolate, and more rum. I sprinkle some grated bittersweet chocolate over the top of the mousse and placed a rum-flavored chantilly quenelle (I was pirating in my previous life) on the top of each serving. There was also a chocolate–caramel sauce (not shown) to decorate the plates.
Serves about 6
For the vanilla tuiles:
- 65 grams / 2.3 ounces softened butter (not melted but soft)
- 60 grams / 2.1 ounces sifted confectioner’s sugar
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 large egg whites (slightly whisked with a fork)
- 65 grams / 2.3 ounces all purpose flour, sifted
- 1 ½ tsp unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
For the crust:
- 2 ½ oz toasted ground hazelnuts
- 2 oz chocolate cookie crumbs, homemade or store-bought
- 1 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted
- 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- Tiny pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp dark rum
For the mousse:
- 1 cup whipping cream, cold
- 8 oz unsweetened chestnut puree
- 2 tbsp dark rum
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt if using a home-made puree (canned one has the salt added)
- 6 oz mascarpone cheese
- 3 large egg whites
- 4 ½ oz fine granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cold water
- 7 g powdered gelatin (3 tsp, one envelope)
For the serving:
- Grated bittersweet chocolate
- Whipped cream with a splash of rum and lightly sweetened (if you wish; I usually don’t)
- Chocolate-caramel sauce (omit the spices)
Make the vanilla tuiles:
Center an oven rack and preheat to 325F. Line a cookie sheet with a silicone mat and set aside.
In a small bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon until smooth, add the vanilla extract and mix to combine. Switch to a whisk and gradually add the egg whites. Add the flour, in small batches, and stir to achieve a homogeneous and smooth batter/paste. Be careful to not overmix, you don’t want to aerate the batter. Spoon out ¼-cup of the batter into another small bowl and stir in the sifted cocoa powder (this batter will be used for piping the veins on the vanilla tuils).
Cover the bowl with the vanilla batter with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. The batter can be kept in the fridge for up to a week. Do not refrigerate the chocolate batter; transfer it into a piping bag fitted with a small (#2) round tip. And set aside.
Press the leaf stencil ( or any other stencil of your choice) on the prepared baking sheet and use an offset spatula to spread the batter thinly. Leave some room in between your shapes. Use the chocolate batter to pipe the veins.
Bake the cookies in a preheated for about 5-10 minutes (depends on their size) until the edges turn golden brown. Immediately release from the baking sheet and proceed to shape/bend the cookies in the desired shape. These cookies have to be shaped while still warm, you might want to bake a small amount at a time. Cool completely before storing in an air-tight container.
Make the crust:
I used 6 round molds with removable bottoms, each is about 2 ½-inch in diameter. You can use tart rings instead.
Lightly spray the bottoms of the molds with oil. Line the sides with acetate or parchment paper. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the ground nuts, cookie crumbs, melted chocolate, cocoa, salt, and rum. Stir to combine. If the mixture seems too dry, add a little bit of water, ½ teaspoon at a time. Divide the mixture between the molds and press onto the bottom of each. A tall and slim tequila glass is perfect for packing the crumbs. Refrigerate until firm, at least for an hour and up to a day.
Make the mousse:
In a medium bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Do not overbeat! Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed. Don’t wash the beaters, just set aside for a moment.
In the bowl of the food processor, process the chestnut puree with rum, vanilla, and salt (if using) until absolutely smooth, no even tiny lumps should be present.
In a large bowl, using the same beaters that were used for whipping the cream, beat the mascarpone until smooth, add the chestnut puree and beat until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
Bring 1 inch of water to a very light simmer in a wide skillet. In the bowl of the stand mixer, lightly whisk the egg whites and sugar, then set the bowl in the hot water. Whisk constantly until the egg-white mixture is hot to the touch and an instant read thermometer reads 140F. It will take 2 to 4 minutes. Place the bowl with the egg whites to the stand mixer base and whip with a wire attachment on medium-high speed until double in volume and cool.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the ¼ cup of cold water. Let it soften for a couple of minutes, then microwave on High for 15 seconds (or melt the gelatin in the same water-filled skillet) until dissolved. Gently warm the chestnut-mascarpone mixture to 98F (37C). Whisk a little bit of the chestnut-mascarpone mixture into the gelatin, then whisk the gelatin/chestnut mixture back to the rest of the chestnut-mascarpone mixture in the large bowl. Using a large rubber spatula, fold about one quarter of the meringue into the chestnut mixture, then fold in the rest of the whites. Fold in about one quarter of whipped cream into the mixture, then fold in the rest of the cream. Be delicate, don’t overmix. Transfer the mousse into a large piping bag fitted with a large plain tip and pipe it into the prepared molds dividing equally. Refrigerate to firm up, at least for 2 hours.
When ready to serve, unmold the dessert, sprinkle with grated or shaved chocolate, and top with some whipped cream if you wish.
You can simplify the preparation and serve the mousse from a glass or bowl. To do so, omit the gelatin and don’t warm the chestnut-mascarpone mixture. Proceed as described earlier. Pipe or spoon the mousse into the serving glasses and refrigerate until serving time.
January 31, 2009 at 6:21 am
lovely leaves, vera–i adore the vein-work that you did. :)
also impressive is that mousse. i could simply inhale it.
January 31, 2009 at 5:53 am
Wow…those are the most beautiful tuiles I’ve ever seen! Beautiful!!
January 31, 2009 at 5:11 am
Oh, oh… I so want to try one of these. So elegant! And from the artfulness of the photos, I can juuuust about taste them. :-)
Kate
January 31, 2009 at 4:48 am
Absolutely gorgeous! Beautiful tuiles and I can almost taste the mousse.
January 31, 2009 at 2:54 am
These little leaves look amazing as sounds the chestnut mousse, yummy :-)!
January 30, 2009 at 4:36 pm
GORGEOUS, GORGEOUS, GORGEOUS!!!
January 30, 2009 at 3:03 pm
love the leaf stencil. Good work!
January 30, 2009 at 2:25 pm
How beautiful! I love the curvature of the leaves. It’s such an elegant presentation. The combination of the chocolate hazlenut crust and chestnut mousse sounds delicious!
January 30, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Vera, this is a piece of art! So beautiful and I bet delicious too. Great work!
January 30, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Spectacular! Chestnuts are a favorite and I’m definitely trying your mousse. Spectacular!
January 30, 2009 at 11:44 am
WoW!!! I love leaf tuiles!!! So pretty and amazing!!1
Ana
January 30, 2009 at 11:40 am
Oh! Your tuiles, and the chestnut mousse tarts, are so beautiful. I’ve always wanted to try a chestnut-flavored dessert, but it’s just not an ingredient you find easily in my area.
Fantastic response to the challenge!
January 30, 2009 at 11:26 am
So pretty, Vera.
January 30, 2009 at 10:45 am
Gorgeous! I love the leaves!
January 30, 2009 at 10:14 am
Absolutely beautiful. Is it fall yet?
January 30, 2009 at 9:54 am
Fantastic dessert! Your tuile leaves appear as if they just flitted through the breeze from a tree onto the top of your delectable mousse…
January 30, 2009 at 9:29 am
Simply stunning! And I love chestnut desserts, too, so this is a winner all around.
January 30, 2009 at 9:23 am
What an exquisite dessert, aesthetically, and the chestnut mousse sounds phenomenal. AMAZING job!!
January 30, 2009 at 8:23 am
Your tuiles are so lovely and delicate. I love your mousse! Great job with this month’s challenge.
January 30, 2009 at 7:51 am
Wow! This is stunning! Perfect little tuile leaves!
January 30, 2009 at 7:21 am
I love the way the leaves look like they are fluttering down. Gorgeous! And, the flavors are fantastic, the hazelnut, walnut and rum…yummy!
January 30, 2009 at 7:03 am
How lovely! And it sure does seem delicious!
January 30, 2009 at 6:55 am
Beautiful..and delicious…and….No tengo palabras ni en ingles ni en español….cada vez estoy mas enamorada de tus recetas y tus fotos.
January 30, 2009 at 5:27 am
Wow! The mousse looks and sounds divine! Your presentation is just perfect and beautiful.
January 30, 2009 at 5:15 am
Whaou !!! I’m very very impressed !!!
C’est vraiment magnifique !
January 30, 2009 at 4:12 am
I’m just speechless (almost) at the elegance of your dessert presentation. Love your leaf tuiles. The browned edges look perfect with the leaf shape.
January 30, 2009 at 4:11 am
wow these are so pretty! lovely presentation!
January 30, 2009 at 3:34 am
Beautiful! Chestnut mousse – that’s something I’d like to try.
January 30, 2009 at 3:15 am
Ouh! That’s beautiful, bet it tasted great too.
January 30, 2009 at 2:20 am
Ohhh, these are the most beautiful, most elegant… The best tuiles this month! I love them and the mousse sounds fantastic too!
January 30, 2009 at 12:59 am
Absolutely stunning, and beautiful photos! I love the sound of that chestnut mousse, and love the slight curl you’ve given to the leaves.
January 30, 2009 at 12:55 am
Oh wow, looks absolutely gorgeous. Love the maple leave tuiles and the mousse dessert you have conjured up. The pics are beautiful as well.
January 30, 2009 at 12:39 am
simply stunning. they are the final touch to an already amazing dessert :)
January 29, 2009 at 11:20 pm
these look grand! the mousse sounds rich and d’lish and i love the wonderful delicate tuiles!
January 29, 2009 at 11:15 pm
Guauu!! I don’t have words to describe it!!
amazing!!
January 29, 2009 at 11:09 pm
Been waiting for your post Vera! :)
Always LOVE your pictures and seeing what you come up with. You didn’t disappoint! Imagine whipping all that up LAST NIGHT. Very impressive!
January 29, 2009 at 11:08 pm
Simply Beautiful. And I bet they taste wonderful too!
January 29, 2009 at 11:04 pm
This looks absolutely breathtaking! Amazing job Vera! :D
January 29, 2009 at 10:27 pm
Just love your leave tuiles – what a great job you have done!! I really enjoyed this challenge in a strange way it was simple and complex at the same time.
January 29, 2009 at 10:24 pm
The leaves are so lovely and the end result is even lovlier. Amazing job!
January 29, 2009 at 10:11 pm
Wow! Those are absolutely fantastic! Your tuile looks wonderful.
January 29, 2009 at 10:05 pm
The tuiles are very pretty! A wonderful paring! This mousse looks really delicious. I love the presentation and pictures! Very well done!
Cheers,
Rosa
January 29, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Beautiful and delicious creations. The detail is mind-blowing.
January 29, 2009 at 9:27 pm
These look delightful. I really like the photo of the leaf tuiles on their own. Very simple and pretty
January 29, 2009 at 9:16 pm
How beautiful!! As with everything that you make, everything in this dessert turns out perfect, even with the procrastination!!
January 29, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Amazing photos! This looks really yummy and the leaf tuiles are adorable!
January 29, 2009 at 8:47 pm
You took my breath away Vera. Just GORGEOUS! I can’t wait to try something like this…WOW!
January 29, 2009 at 8:43 pm
These are stunning…
January 29, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Oh wow, this is really beautiful!!
January 29, 2009 at 8:18 pm
That mousse looks divine and the leaves are too cute for words