Daring Bakers Challenge: Tuiles and their friends

I am having a funny week. Work has been really crazy, and the world is icy, and I’m doing a lot of slipping around. Let’s just say I haven’t been so grounded. And while usually my daring baker’s challenges have been a real event for me, this one was different, for several reasons which I guess I’ll share with you:
1. I failed at this challenge. The challenge was tuiles, which I’ve never made before, which everyone says are so easy, and mine were chewy. So I overcompensated with other things that would make me forget about the chewy tuiles.
2. I ate this by myself. No, my family has not run out on me. (Although they might soon, if I don’t spend more time at home) The dessert I made was a single serving kind of deal, and I had to create it when it was light out so that I could capture it with my camera, and everyone was at school. This eating by myself thing was very nice, but Joey was a little sad to see what he missed when I showed him the pictures.
3. It is Thursday. And Thursdays are are busy and a little bit tired in comparison with the other days.
But I’m here, and I’m very happy to present to you my:
Fried Bananas with sour cream ice cream and salt and pepper tuiles!

I’ll tell you the story of how all of these things came together. The challenge was tuiles- any tuiles, and I had this image of sweet salt and pepper tuiles- like potato chip cookies. Alice Medrich makes a sour cream ice cream and this seemed pretty fancy and exciting and I have a friend who really wanted the recipe- so there we have that addition. And when Joey and I were sampling the chewy tuiles and sour cream ice cream, he started talking about how his dad used to give him sour cream and bananas as a big treat, and there the grand picture really developed.
And although my tuiles failed, the dessert on the whole was really really, well, I’m too tired to think of a fabulous word, but I’m sure you would enjoy it.

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.

Following is a recipe taken from a book called “The Chocolate Book”, written by female Dutch Master chef Angélique Schmeinck.

Recipe:

65 grams / ¼ cup / 2.3 ounces softened butter (not melted but soft)
60 grams / ½ cup / 2.1 ounces sifted confectioner’s sugar
1 sachet vanilla sugar (7 grams or substitute with a dash of vanilla extract)
2 large egg whites (slightly whisked with a fork)
65 grams / 1/2 cup / 2.3 ounces sifted all purpose flour
1 table spoon cocoa powder/or food coloring of choice
Butter/spray to grease baking sheet

Oven: 180C / 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 overmix.
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).

Now from here, I tried out Alice Medrich’s shaping method. I lined a baking sheet with foil, buttered it, and spread the cookiesabout 9 on a sheet, uing about a tablespoon of batter per cookie and spreading it in a very thin oval. I sprinkled sea salt and ground pepper on each cookie. I baked the cookies in a 350 F oven for about ten minutes, or until the edges got a little brown. Then I took the baking sheet out of the oven, and gently rolled the foil into a tube shape, fastened it with a paper clip, and let the cookies cool like that, When I unrolled the foil after the cookies had cooled, they were a lovely curled oval shape.

Then, for the ice cream…

Sour Cream Ice Cream from Alice Medrich’s Pure Dessert

2 cups sour cream
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk

Put the Sour Cream in a medium bowl and set aside.
In a small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk in a little of the milk until smooth, then whisk in the remaining milk. Whisk constantly over medium heat until the mixture is warm and foamy. Continue to whisk as the foam subsides and the moisture thickens and begins to boil. Whisking and scraping the bottom and the sides of the pan constantly to prevent scorching, boil steadily but not furiously for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, or until the mixture thickens slightly and becomes a bit more translucent.
Remove the pan from the stove and whisk for a few seconds to release some heat. A little at a time, whisk the hot mixture into the sour cream. Let cool, cover tightly, and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
Then freeze in your ice cream maker…..

put it over

bananas fried in maple syrup, cinnamon and butter. Drizzle the extra liquid over the ice cream. Stick the tuiles in the whole mess and eat alone on a sunny winter afternoon.