Expert: Ralph Onesti - 8/19/2011

Question
Dear Ralph: Many tims when I watch Cupcake Wars on the food channel, that lady judge mentions a decoration on some of the cakes as pastry tweels(spelling ?)  Do you have any idea what it is and how to make them. I have tried all spellings and can't seem to find any info on it.

Answer
Hi Darlene:

Your spelling was close enough so that I understood what you meant.

Tuiles is the proper spelling...perhaps that's why the wars over cupcakes started.

Essentially, they are "kind" of like a cookie, and the work literally means "tile" names after the clay,curved roofing tiles in France.

Basically it's a cookie dough of Bread flour, cake flour, powdered sugar, egg whites, butter, vanilla, and optional almonds.

Here is the deal...when the cookies are made into a paste, they are spread flat on the pan. Baked at 375F until they start to brown lightly.

The baked cookie is draped over a rolling pin as soon as they are done while hot, let them cool and magically, you have the curved, traditional tuile.

We leave them in the oven while were draping so they don't cool off and stiffen. Then...you just have a thin, round, almond cookie.

Regards,

Ralph