Blackberry & Kumquat Filled Brandy Tuiles.

Now. Look at these. Look at them closely. You know how you are studying them, imagining how incredible biting into any of them would be? Take that taste in your head. Multiply it by at least 17,000. That’s how good they are.

Let’s talk about the Tuiles, shall we? Crispy little cylindrical brandy wafers filled with Greek yogurt, blackberry jam, clementines, kumquats and black pepper. Oh man.

These little tubes of tastiness really get your tastebuds up on their feet. They are a perfect way to end a meal. Or a perfect snack to eat while watching TV. Or right before bed. If you made them right, you could probably have them for breakfast too…maybe add some apple and cinnamon into the mix?

These tuiles were just one of the desserts Molly Loveday made when she created this dinner. As an aside, we were also invited over for dinner last night. Homemade Gnudi pasta. Oh my.

I’m getting way too used to this having an awesome neighbor thing.

Here’s the recipe Molly wrote up….enjoy!

Loveday-Alexanders

Yield: 12-15 tuiles (1/2″-1″ in diameter)

• 3 T unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 T honey, preferably raw
• 1/4 cup AP flour
• 2 tsp teaspoon fine, drinkable, cooking brandy
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• zest of one orange (or lemon, meyer lemon, or other favorite citrus)

Filling:

• 1 cup Greek yogurt, plain, unsweetened
• 3 T blackberry jam (preferably home-made [see Christine Ferber’s “Mes Confitures” or “River Cottage Preserves” handbook series on ‘how-to’, or if time and all else fails, store bought)
• 6 segments of a peeled clementine, or 6 whole kumquats (skin on, thinly sliced into rings), muddled
  
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the Tuiles:

Start by preheating your oven to 350 F degrees. Have at the ready a 17″ (medium, “half”, or cookie) sheet-tray lined with parchment paper or a clean silpat (we love JB Prince). Over medium-low heat, in a small sauce pan, combine butter, sugar and honey. Cook gently and whisk until all ingredients homogenize. Off the flame, add in the flour and whisk until smooth; add brandy if using.

Drop full teaspoons of the batter onto sheet tray in equal increments, evenly spaced, about 6 per baking sheet. In the meantime, have ready several wooden spoons, wooden dowels, cannoli molds, or some thin cylindrical-shaped item to use as templates for the tuiles. Bake for 5 minutes, and begin to check every other minute until the tulle begins to caramelize and spread into a lacy circle. At this point, remove tray from oven and let tuiles cool slightly; they should be warm to the touch and still flimsy when pulled off the silpat. Do not be afraid- though they may seem daunting at first- tuiles are an enriched batter because of the all-purpose flour and will be more sturdy than they appear. The only concern is that the tuile will cool/harden too quickly to form and you will simply have to re-heat them gently in the oven (for a few seconds or so to help them soften again).

Using a small offset spatulay, lift one tuile at a time off your silpat or parchment paper. Being very careful not to break it, drape the tulle over a dowel, handle of the wooden spoon, etc. and wrap loosely into a cylindrical shape until the edges envelop one another Allow to set-up; about 3-5 minutes at room temperature. Once ‘set’, carefully slide tulle off of mold and carefully transfer to a plate, air tight container, etc. Do NOT store in fridge! (They will become soggy and unattractive- no bueno). If using right away, see below, otherwise, store tuiles in sealed container on the counter, in a cool dry spot in the kitchen. Humidity and heat are a tuile’s worst enemies.

For the (healthier) filling:

Combine Greek yogurt, jam, segments and a crack of black pepper in a small stainless steel bowl. Mix until combined. It should be pleasantly tart on the palate, and not too sweet (the tuile will provide plenty of sweetness). Scoop mixture into a medium sized piping bag and seal by tying a knot or wrapping the end with masking tape. Cut the tip of the piping bag about 1/2″ of the way up from the ‘point’ and carefully pipe yogurt mixture into the barrel of each tuile- press gently on the bag until filling is flush with both the top and bottom of each cookie.

For a (more) decadent filling:

Combine 1/2 cup whipped cream, and 1/2 cup of whipped creme fraiche, and sweeten with about 3 tablespoons of white sugar, a pinch of salt, and juice of 1/2 an orange or lemon. If you’re a chocolate fan, now would be a great time to add some bittersweet chocolate chips (miniature sized works best here). Fill bag and see piping directions from above.

Don’t forget to serve alongside a freshly brewed cup of Tea Pigs English Breakfast (my new favorite), or a strong cup of Joe, following a delicious meal.

Best when enjoyed in good company.

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