Giant Tuiles Large Tile Cookies Recipes

FRENCH TUILE COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat the butter with the icing sugar and honey until smooth (you can do this with electric beaters or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Beat in the egg whites (the mixture may look curdled - that is OK). Sift in the flour and stir until the batter is smooth and then chill it until firm, about 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C). Line a baking tray with a silicone-coated liner (this is preferred over parchment paper, since the paper can wrinkle). Prepare a template by cutting out a shape in the centre of a flat piece of plastic (such as a yogurt container lid, with the edges trimmed away). The template can be just about any shape or size - the classic French "tuile" is a square, but a teardrop, leaf, heart or any other shape is common. Ready a small rolling pin or other curved tool, and steady it so that it doesn't move - resting the warm cookies on this will give them their curve.
• Place the template on the silicone liner and, using a small palette knife, spread an even layer of batter over the template, smoothing as needed. Lift the template carefully, scrape off any excess batter and place it next to the first cookie and repeat until the tray is filled. Bake the cookies for 5 to 6 minutes, until they brown at the edges (stay near the oven, since 30 seconds can make a big difference).
• Remove the baking tray from the oven and immediately and carefully start lifting the warm cookies and placing them on the rolling pin to curl and cool. If the cookies cool before you can get them to the rolling pin, you can return the tray to the oven for 10-15 seconds to soften up the cookies again. Repeat until you have the number of tuiles you wish (making a few extra is wise, since they are delicate and can break easily). The remaining batter will keep, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks, or can be frozen for up to 3 months.

GIANT TUILES (LARGE TILE COOKIES)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Scatter the almonds on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake until lightly browned, about seven minutes, checking carefully to make sure they don't burn. Put two cups of the almonds in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
• Put the remaining half a cup of almonds into the container of a food processor or electric blender and blend thoroughly. Add the blended almonds to the mixing bowl. Add the sugar, eggs and flour and stir to blend. Start stirring with a wooden spoon while gradually adding the melted butter. Refrigerate for an hour or longer.
• When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
• You may bake these cookies on a nonstick baking sheet or a regular baking sheet lined with a cut-out sheet of parchment paper.
• For each cookie, scoop about a quarter cup of the batter at intervals of about three inches on the baking sheet. You should bake one batch of, perhaps, six cookies at a time.
• Dip the tines of a table fork in water and press down over the top of each cookie to flatten it into a circle measuring about five inches in diameter.
• Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake 15 minutes.
• Let cool two to three minutes, but work quickly. You must not let the cookies stand too long or they will harden or become too firm to be molded. While the cookies are still soft and warm, remove them by sliding a pancake turner under each. The moment each is removed, transfer it into an oval-shaped bread pan or over the side of a wine bottle to give each a round, half-moon shape.

BEGGAR'S CHICKEN

Steps:

• Rub the chicken inside and out with salt, half of the soy sauce and half of the wine. Set aside for at least one hour.
• Meanwhile, put the mushrooms in a small mixing bowl and add warm water to cover. Let stand half an hour or until the caps are softened. Drain and squeeze to extract and discard excess moisture. Cut off and discard the tough stems. Cut the caps into thin slivers and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Cut the preserved vegetable into thin slivers. If it has been packed in a shredded state, shred it further. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a wok or skillet and add the pork. Cook, stirring rapidly, until it loses its raw look. Add the mushrooms, preserved vegetable and bamboo shoots. Add the remaining soy sauce, remaining wine, salt and sugar. Cook, stirring, one minute. Set aside to cool.
• Stuff the mixture inside the chicken.
• Fold the wing tips under the chicken. Truss the chicken as neatly as possible with string.
• Lay out a large rectangle of aluminum foil on a flat surface. Place the chicken in the center. Wrap the chicken as compactly as possible inside the foil.
• Gather together a large handful of the clay. Flatten this handful to a thickness of about one inch and apply it to one outside section of the foil-wrapped chicken. Place another flattened handful of clay slightly overlapping and press to seal the two pieces together. Continue applying handfuls of clay, pressing as you work, until the chicken is completely and compactly covered with clay. Smooth the clay over as you work. You may bake the chicken at this point or you may ''sculpt'' the product with additional pieces of clay, shaping it to resemble a whole bird with beak, feet, eyes, tail feathers and so on.
• Place in the oven and bake 45 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees. As the clay bakes, it may develop cracks. As these are noticed, seal the cracks by smearing on a little more clay.
• Continue baking the chicken for 30 minutes. If desired, you may then paint the clay with poster paint or watercolors.
• To serve, crack the clay, remove the chicken and peel away and discard the foil. Carve the chicken and serve with the preserved-vegetable stuffing.

PORK MEATBALLS WITH ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Put the pork in a mixing bowl.
• Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a saucepan, and add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, until onion is wilted. Add the mushrooms and cook until they give up their liquid. Continue cooking until liquid evaporates.
• Add the mushroom mixture to the meat. Add the rosemary, salt and pepper to taste, bread crumbs, egg and pepper flakes. Blend well with the hands.
• Shape the mixture into 18 balls. Dredge the balls in flour and shake off excess.
• Heat enough of the remaining oil in a skillet to reach a depth of about one-eighth inch. Add the balls and cook, turning as they brown, until browned all over. Add the balls to the tomato sauce and cook about 30 minutes.
• Serve with cooked spaghetti.

BLACK-AND-WHITE CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Position a rack in the lower third - but not the lowest position - of the oven.
• Put the cream and sugar in a large metal bowl and place it over simmering water. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Pour one-half cup, plus three tablespoons, of the mixture into a small mixing bowl and set aside.
• Add the chopped chocolate to the remaining mixture in the metal bowl and stir gently over the simmering water until it melts. The mixture may look speckled, but this is normal. Remove the chocolate mixture from the heat.
• Beat three of the egg yolks, using an electric mixer, until the yolks are light in color and doubled in volume. Using the lowest speed, add the chocolate mixture.
• Arrange four one-cup, oven-proof ramekins or custard cups in a shallow roasting pan. The cups should not touch. Pour about one-half inch of boiling water around the cups.
• Pour an equal amount of the chocolate mixture into each ramekin. Bake 40 minutes or until the custard is set but soft in the middle.
• Meanwhile, beat the remaining egg yolk slightly and add the reserved unflavored cream-and-sugar mixture. Spoon an equal portion of this mixture on top of each custard. Return to the oven for eight to 10 minutes or until set.
• Remove the ramekins and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until cold.
• Preheat the broiler.
• Combine the brown sugar with enough of the boiling water to make a relatively thin, smooth paste. Using the back of a teaspoon, spread an equal portion of this mixture over the top of each custard. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet. Place them about three inches under the broiler heat. When the sugar bubbles and begins to brown, remove from the heat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

PASTRY CREAM (CREME PATISSIERE)

Steps:

• Place the milk and split vanilla bean, if used, in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and keep hot.
• Put the sugar and egg yolks in a mixing bowl (this may be done in a mixer) and beat with a wire whisk until the mixture is golden yellow and forms a ribbon. Using the whisk, stir in the cornstarch.
• Strain the hot milk into the egg and sugar mixture, beating constantly with the whisk. The vanilla bean may be rinsed off and stored in sugar.
• Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly with the whisk. Cook for one minute, stirring vigorously. Remove from the heat. Add the vanilla extract, if used. Cover and let cool. Fold in the whipped cream and Grand Marnier.

STUFFED CABBAGE BALLS WITH LAMB

Steps:

• Carefully cut away the bottom center core of the cabbage. Pull off and discard any tough or blemished outer leaves.
• Bring enough water to the boil to cover the cabbage when it is added. Drop the cabbage into the water and cook, turning occasionally, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Drain the cabbage and run it briefly under cold water. Place the cabbage cored side down to drain further.
• Put the lamb in a mixing bowl and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet and add two cups of the onions and one teaspoon of the garlic. Cook briefly, stirring, and add the green pepper and celery. Sprinkle with the cumin and turmeric and stir. Cook over medium-low heat about five minutes. Spoon the mixture onto a plate to cool.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Add the bread crumbs, dill and eggs to the lamb. Add the cooled onion and garlic mixture, salt, pepper and hot red-pepper flakes. Mix thoroughly with the hands.
• Lay out a rectangle of cheesecloth of double thickness measuring about 12 by 10 inches (folded measure).
• Place one of the largest leaves, rounded side up, in the center of the cheesecloth. Cover with a second, somewhat smaller, leaf. Fill the center of the second leaf with three or four tablespoons of filling.
• Bring up the four corners of the cheesecloth and twist the ends together over a bowl. This will shape the leaves into a compact round. It is not necessary to use string. Remove the cabbage ball from the cheesecloth. Continue making the balls until all the leaves and filling are used. There should be about 20 to 24 cabbage balls.
• Heat the butter in a heavy casserole or baking dish large enough to hold all the cabbage balls in one layer. Add the remaining one and one-half cups of onions and the remaining one teaspoon garlic and cook briefly, stirring. Add the bay leaves and whole cloves. Arrange the cabbage balls seam side down in the casserole.
• Blend the tomatoes and broth and pour this around the cabbage balls. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover closely with a heavy lid or aluminum foil and place in the oven. Bake 50 minutes. Remove the cover and continue to bake 10 minutes.
• Remove the bay leaves. Serve hot or cold with the pan juices.