These tuiles look fantastic and the thin and crispy cones combined with the fluffy vanilla cream mean these little treats taste as good as they look!
Vanilla and Chocolate Tuiles
Preparation time 1 hour 10 mins plus cooling and setting Baking time 4-5 mins per batch Makes 24 For the tuiles: 2 large egg whites 120g caster sugar 55g butter, melted and then cooled at room temperature 55g plain flour, sifted For the vanilla cream: 600ml double cream 4 tbsp icing sugar, sifted 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or seeds scraped from 1 vanilla pod For the decoration: 140g dark chocolate 100g white chocolate, grated Method: 1 Cut 24 12cm squares from baking paper and set aside. To help shape the tuiles you will need to form a cone shape from baking paper, securing the end in place with some tape. Fill the cone with a piece of kitchen paper to support the inside and stop it from collapsing. 2 For perfectly round tuiles you will need to make a stencil from a plastic lid such as an ice cream tub lid. Draw a 9cm diameter circle in the lid and cut out using a craft knife to leave a circular aperture. Discard the circle and set aside the lid as the stencil is the aperture. 3 Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas mark 5. Place the egg whites in a bowl and whisk lightly with a fork until foamy. Add the caster sugar and stir well. Add the cooled melted butter and flour then mix thoroughly until the batter is thick and smooth. 4 Position the circular stencil over the centre of one of the squares of baking paper. Drop 1 tbsp batter in the centre of the aperture onto the baking paper. Use a palette knife to spread the batter thinly and evenly in the circle. Carefully remove the stencil from the baking paper to leave a perfect circle of batter. 5 Repeat three more times to create a total of four tuiles then transfer to a baking tray and bake for 4-5 mins until golden brown around the edges. 6 Remove from the oven then, carefully picking up one baked tuile at a time, wrap the tuile around the prepared cone to shape it. Hold in place for a couple of seconds then as it cools, gently slide off the cone and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack. Shape the rest of the baked tuiles in the same way - the heat from the baking tray should keep them pliable until shaped. Repeat steps 4-6 with the remaining batter. 7 For the decoration, break up the dark chocolate into chunks and melt in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Dip the large open end of the tuiles into the chocolate allowing the excess to drip back into the bowl. Place on a baking tray lined with paper, allow the chocolate to begin to set for a couple of mins and then dip into the grated white chocolate. Place back on the baking tray and allow to set completely. 8 For the filling, place the cream, icing sugar and vanilla bean paste or seeds in a large bowl and whip until soft peaks are formed. Just before serving, pipe the mixture into the tuiles using a star nozzle. Serve immediately.
