Light as a Feather, Crisp as a Tuile

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by Hannah (BitterSweet)

Allowing us Daring Bakers a bit more time to recover from holiday excess, it was a brilliant scheme to propose a lighter, easier challenge. Instead of the typical novel of a recipe that rattles on for 18 or more pages, this one was quite simple, but allowed for plenty of creative freedom- Exactly what I crave.

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.

Like most DB challenges these days, I was at first miffed by the simplicity of those plain old tuiles, this boring and unexceptional cookie that could be easily made by newbie bakers. Instead of wasting time and getting in a huff though, I quickly moved on and made exactly what I would have wanted from the challenge. What else other than a plated dessert?

Believe it or not, this one required no veganization on my part, as Lolo had already concocted a perfect recipe for vegan tuiles, which I happily put to use. Going with the theme of “light and airy,” I sketched out a few shapes of little birds and then cut them out of cardboard to make my templates. Coloring the dough by using beet juice instead of water, plus just a tiny pinch of paprika, my love birds took flight in rosy shades of pink. A tiny dab of the batter mixed with cocoa created their eyes.

Perched upon spun sugar nests, these crispy feathered cookies were quite an adorable pair, and I could have easily stopped there. But no, I had my heart set on a composed plate of different flavors and textures. Starting from the bottom up, rounds of fluffy chocolate cake were topped with pistachio mousse, making for a rich, creamy base to contrast nicely with the wafer-thin tuiles. Surrounded by a simple coconut foam, each bite was a little bit different, but all were satisfying to both my sweet tooth and my inner pastry chef.

109 thoughts on “Light as a Feather, Crisp as a Tuile”

  4. Those are darling and so creative! Love the pink birdies :) BTW, we have the same WP theme. I thought I was commenting on my own post for a nano-second..lol

  7. Those are awesome! I think if I was served that I’d have a hard time eating it, just because it’s so cute I’d want to keep it. Great job!

  8. Oh, Hannah these are so precious! They’re so romantic and, more importantly, TASTY looking. I bet a treat like this would make Valentine’s Day tolerable for me.

    These challenges always turn out so impressively. Another great one!

  10. Hannah, these are so beautiful. Definitely a great start to the year.
    I used the same recipe though I’m afraid I didn’t have much success with this challenge.

  20. woweee, your tuiles are stunning! what a great idea using paprika for coloring, I’ll definately try that next time!

  25. This is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen done with a dessert! The nest is perfect and you made not only the colors work together but the flavors too. Great job Hannah!

  27. What a wonderful job you did on this challenge. Your dish worked out so well I’m impressed. The combination of flavours is very well thought out. I too also thought this was too simple a recipe BUT this was the most fun of all the challenges I have done. The tuiles taste so good and can be used for so many fillings this is one recipe I will be doing again and again. Great job!!!!!!

  36. Wow! These are amazing and creative. Did the flavor come out the way you wanted it to? I’m just curious if the beet juice made them sweeter than the water would.

  42. Ack! It’s DB posting day and I haven’t done my tuiles yet! I really need to get more organized.

    Anyhow, your tuiles are adorable. What an inspiration, you are! :)

  62. I really wish I could slowly savor/gobble that up right now. Not only does it look professional, it looks like it tastes amazing!

  64. Great idea – I wish I’d had the good sense to make flat tuiles. It could have saved lots of time and heartache. (Not to mention money!) This is gorgeous and looks quite tasty!!

  66. Oh my gosh! I LOVE the idea of that yummy little nest of pistachio and chocolate for those adorable little tuille birdies!

  78. When I scrolled down and saw the pictures of your tuiles, I caught my breath. I could not believe how absolutely creative you were with this challenge. Wow. I am humbled.

  79. Once again, you’re so creative. Love the spun sugar nest and bird tuiles. Perfect for Spring, which should be coming sometime soon!

  90. super cute. I love the nest idea as well. I tried Lolo’s recipe and ruined it but I should have suspected as we cannot end my streak of first try failures :)

    Nice work! I looks delicious!

  91. Hannah these are so cute – and your plated dessert is gorgeous. I bet it was as delicious as it is elegant! Pistachio mousse…mmmm. And, I can’t tear my eyes away from that chocolate cake, it must have been great all together :)

  93. What do you use for surfaces and backgrounds in your pictures? It always looks FABULOUS, and perfectly compliments the food, and I’m dying to know!!

  108. Ha! I thought my “zeal for tuiles” was clever, but that “Light as a Feather, Crisp as a Tuile” – talk about bringing back memories of late-night teenage goofiness. Would love to learn where you got that pistachio mousse recipe! Chocolate, pistachios and tuiles, yum, yum. Beautiful job!

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