Hazelnut Cream Tuiles Recipes

HAZELNUT FLORENTINES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Line a baking sheet with foil and apply a light coating of cooking spray to the foil. As an alternative, a Silpat sheet work quite well.
• In a medium mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, molasses and milk. (Lazy chef's tip: you can also mix the batter in the saucepan or bowl used to melt the butter).
• Mix in in the ground hazelnuts and flour.
• Drop scant teaspoons of batter onto the prepared sheets leaving 3 to 5 inches between each drop. Your drops should be smaller than a quarter.
• Bake for 5 or 6 minutes until the cookie until the cookie a deep golden hue and has a lace like appearance where the butter has melted off. Remove tray from oven and let cool until set, about 1 or 2 minutes. Remove from tray and place on a cooling rack. If your cookies are still soft at this point, they are not quite cooked and you can return them to the oven for another minute.
• To decorate the cookies, melt the chocolate according to your favorite method. Drizzle on cookies.
• (Melting tip: With small quantities of chocolate, you can place the chips in a small heavy duty storage bag and force the chips to one corner. Submerge the sealed bad in a cup of boiling water for 20 to 30 seconds and remove. Knead the softened chips into a liquid. If if needs additional melting, return the bag to the water bath. Once the right consistency is achieved, snip the corner and drizzle).

HAZELNUT CHOCOLATE TUILES

Steps:

• Halve 4 parchment paper sheets lengthwise and set aside. Prepare a stencil using a piece of cardboard 6 inches long by 4 inches wide. Draw a circle 2 1/2 inches in diameter in the upper half of the cardboard then cut out the circle. The stencil is the cardboard with the circle removed.
• Melt and temper the chocolate (see pages 25-30), then stir in the ground hazelnuts thoroughly. Set the stencil over a strip of parchment paper and spread about a tablespoon of the mixture over the opening, using an offset spatula with a 4-inch blade. The tuiles should be no more than 1/8 inch thick. Lift the stencil off the parchment paper and scrape the excess chocolate mixture from the stencil back into the bowl. You should be able to place 4 tuiles on each strip of parchment paper.
• Let the tuiles set for 3 to 4 minutes, then carefully drape the parchment paper with the tuiles over a rolling pin that is set on a jelly roll pan. Chill the tuiles in the refrigerator until firm (10 to 15 minutes). Gently peel the parchment paper off of the curved tuiles. In a tightly covered container wrapped in several layers of aluminum foil, the tuiles will keep for 1 week at room temperature or 1 month in the refrigerator. The tuiles are best served at room temperature.
• White Chocolate Tuiles: Substitute 10 ounces white chocolate for the bittersweet chocolate.
• Coconut Chocolate Tuiles: Substitute 2 cups shredded sweetened coconut, lightly toasted, for the hazelnuts.
• Nibby Tuiles: Substitute 1 cup roughly chopped cacao nibs for the hazelnuts.

BRANDY-SNAP CUPS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan combine sugar, butter, molasses, zest, ginger, and cinnamon over medium heat. Bring to a boil; remove from heat. Whisk in flour. Add cognac, and whisk until smooth.
• Drop batter, 1 heaping tablespoon at a time, onto a baking sheet lined with a Silpat baking mat. Prepare only 2 cookies at a time, as they harden quickly once removed from the oven and are difficult to shape.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Get several custard cups, about 3 inches in diameter and 2 1/2 inches deep, at the ready for molding. Remove snaps from oven, and let cool for 3 minutes. Run a thin spatula all around the perimeter of one snap at a time to loosen the bottom completely. Quickly place the snap, flat side up, over the bottom of a custard cup. Let cool. (If the snap becomes hard before removing from baking sheet, return briefly to the oven.) Repeat with remaining snaps.