Amaranth Tuiles
Tuiles are the ultimate la-de-da cookie. Technically, you aren't required to hold your pinky up when eating them. But I'm telling you, it's kind of fun to do so. How many opportunities do you get in life to feel that fancy, particularly when you are a roll-in-the-mud twigs-in-your-hair forager?
Traditionally draped over something cylindrical, like a wine bottle or rolling pin, the resulting cookies are shaped like clay roof tiles, or tuiles (pronounced tweels) in French. You can form them in the traditional way, or shape them into little dessert bowls to fill with ice cream, custard, fruit, and other treats. You can also roll them. Rolled into fat tubes, tuiles can be stuffed with any sort of cream or filling you please. Rolled into tight cigars, either plain or with their tips dipped into chocolate and nuts, tuiles are a textural delight. However you choose to eat them, go ahead, hold up your pinky finger!
I dipped the ends of my amaranth tuiles into chocolate and black walnuts, and enjoyed them with some porcini and black walnut ice cream.
Amaranth Tuiles
1/4 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 egg whites
1/2 tsp. cherry pit extract (substitute vanilla)
1/2 c. minus 2 Tbsp. sweet rice flour
2 Tbsp. wild amaranth flour
1 tsp. wild amaranth, whole
1. Using either an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar in a bowl until it is light and fluffy.
2. Add the egg whites one at a time, mixing in each one completely before adding the next.
3. Beat in the cherry pit extract.
4. By hand, stir in the arrowroot, amaranth flour, and whole amaranth.
5. Cut two 3.5" circles out of a piece of paperboard or thick plastic. I used the side of a cereal box that I got from my neighbor.
6. Prepare a baking sheet pan with a layer of parchment paper or a silicone mat.
7. Place the circle pattern onto the prepared baking sheet. Using an offset spatula, spread the thinnest layer of batter you can manage into each circle, then lift off the pattern. I was able to fit 6 cookie onto my half sheet pan at one time.
8. Bake the cookies at 325 degrees (F) for 6-8 minutes, or until mostly an even golden brown. Keep an eye on them as they bake. The tuiles are so thin that they burn in a hurry.
9. As soon as you remove your tuiles from the oven, shape them as you please. Drape them over a rolling pin, or press them gently into a small bowl or empty muffin cups. If you decide to roll them into cigars, as I did, you have to be extra speedy, otherwise the cookies will crack. I had the greatest success by peeking into the oven, spotting the most done cookie, plucking it out individually with a spatula, and rolling it up, then repeating. I'm not certain if this is brilliant or a waste of energy, but it worked for me.
-------------------------------------------------------------
