Daring Bakers January Challenge

The Daring Bakers January Challenge - TUILES

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.

Last month I was not able to take part in the Daring Bakers Challenge so I was ready to get back into the Daring Bakers. This was a great challenge to come back on. The batter was really easy to prepare ,and I wish I had started this challenge earlier so I could have tried the savory recipes. Make sure to check out the Daring Bakers Blogroll http://daringbakersblogroll.blogspot.com/ to see all of the amazing creations.

Recipe:
Preparation time batter 10 minutes, waiting time 30 minutes, baking time: 5-10 minutes per batch. I cut out a template and made a small circle. My baking time was approximately 6 minutes.
Recipe ¼ cup butter (not melted but soft)
½ cup sifted confectioner’s sugar
1 sachet vanilla sugar (I used dash of vanilla extract)
2 large egg whites (slightly whisked with a fork)
1/2 cup sifted all purpose flour
1 table spoon cocoa powder/or food coloring of choice (if you wanted to add a color)
Butter/spray to grease baking sheet

Preheat Oven to 350F
Using a hand whisk or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (low speed) and cream butter, sugar and vanilla to a paste.



Keep stirring while you gradually add the egg whites.

Continue to add the flour in small batches and stir to achieve a homogeneous and smooth batter/paste. Be careful to not over mix. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. (This batter will keep in the fridge for up to a week, take it out 30 minutes before you plan to use it).


Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with either butter/spray and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. This will help spread the batter more easily if using a stencil/cardboard template. I did not grease my baking sheet. I used a silt pad and parchment paper. Press the stencil on the baking sheet and use an off sided spatula to spread batter. Leave some room in between your shapes.



Note: If you wanted to add a color Mix a small part of the batter with the cocoa and a few drops of warm water until evenly colored. Use this colored batter in a paper piping bag and proceed to pipe decorations .

Bake tuiles in a preheated oven 350F for about 5-10 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Mine seemed to take about 6 minutes, but I think I could have left them in longer.

Immediately remove the tuiles from the baking sheet and proceed to shape/bend the cookies in the desired shape. These cookies have to be shaped when still warm. I baked them in small batches.



If you don’t want to do stencil shapes, you might want to transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip. Pipe the desired shapes and bake. Shape immediately after baking using for instance a rolling pin, a broom handle, cups, cones…. I used the ends of whisks to shape some of my tuiles.

These were my 3 best ones. The other cookies I should have let them get a little bit more golden brown around the edges, but I was worried about burning them

Filling
I decided to fill my tuiles with a mascarpone filling
1/2 cup of mascarpone cheese
1 lemon zest and juice
2 tablespoons of powdered sugar
1/8 tsp of vanilla extract

I loved this filling it was light and delicious. I filled the tuiles with the mascarpone filling ,and then placed them over a berry salad of strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries that I had tossed in a little powdered sugar and lemon juice.

CRAIG'S CORNERS

"The mascarpone was creamy, light, and lemony. It was the perfect compliment to a refreshingly simple cookie dessert. Two thumbs up!"

Chicken Bouillabaisse

The other day I was watching the TV food network and The Barefoot Contessa came on she was making a chicken bouillabaisse. I knew that I needed to make this immediately ,so I made it the next day.

Chicken Bouillabaisse

2008, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics,

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chicken-bouillabaisse-recipe/index.html

Ingredients
1 (4 to 5-pound) chicken, cut into 10 pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
Good olive oil
1 large head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
1 (15 ounce) can tomato puree
1 1/2 cups good chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons Pernod
1 pound baby Yukon gold potatoes, halved
Rouille, ( I did not make the rouille but you can go to the food network for the recipe)

Crusty French bread, for serving

When I watched the show it showed Ina breaking down a whole chicken. I had never done this before  , but I decided to attempt it. I was surprised that this was not that difficult ,and I think the more I do this the easier it will get.

DIRECTIONS

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season it generously with salt, pepper, and the rosemary. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven and brown the chicken pieces in batches until nicely browned all over, about 5 to 7 minutes per batch. Transfer the browned chicken pieces to a plate and set aside.

Lower the heat to medium-low ,and add the garlic, saffron, fennel seeds, tomato puree, chicken stock, white wine, Pernod, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper to the pot. Stir and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the garlic is very tender, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Carefully pour the sauce into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Puree until smooth. Return the sauce to the Dutch oven and add the sliced potatoes and browned chicken pieces with their juices. Stir carefully.

Cover the pot and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is done.

 Check the seasonings and serve hot in shallow bowls with big dollops of Rouille I did not make the rouille. (and slices of crusty bread. I checked on my bouillabaisse after the 55 minutes the potatoes were not done at all. I kept putting it back in for 55 minutes in the end I think this actually cooked for 3 hours in the oven. But it turned out delicious.

 I sauteed some mushrooms which I put on the side and they were delicious mixed in. 

I served this meal with a chopped vegetable salad and some toasted bread. I chopped many different types of veggies, tomatoes,carrots, cucumbers, red bell peppers, and some fresh mozzarella. I then placed it over a bed of lettuce 

CRAIG'S CORNER!

"Chicken so tender, it falls right off the fork and into your lap. Two thumbs up and one pair of stained khakis - that's how excited I was!"