Jane’s Sweets & Baking Journal -- janessweets.blogspot.com -- May 2011

Blueberry Banana Sorbet and Tuiles

(The sorbet recipe was adapted from David Lebovitz’s book, The Perfect Scoop. The tuile recipe is adapted from Professional Baking by Wayne Gisslen.)

Yield: One quart of sorbet and at least two dozen average size tuiles

Equipment for sorbet:

-- food processor or blender

-- ice cream maker, or ice cream maker attachment for your mixer

-- 1 quart container in which to chill finished sorbet

Equipment for tuiles:

Food scale to measure tuile ingredients

1 or 2 Silpats (silicone pan liners) or parchment paper

1 or 2 very flat cookie sheets

1 small offset spatula

scissors

flexible tuile templates

Ingredients for sorbet:

2 and 1/2 cups frozen wild Maine blueberries (They're little, very blue, and sweet; I buy them in large bags from Costco. Of course, if you have good fresh berries on hand, don't hesitate!)

4 medium size very ripe bananas

1 and 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup cold water

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

In a food processor or blender, pulse together all of the ingredients until the blueberries look almost  pulverized and the mixture looks not-quite completely smooth.

Then process the mixture according to the instructions for your ice cream maker. (I used the ice cream maker attachment for my KitchenAid mixer, mixing on low speed for almost 20 minutes. Then, I put the sorbet into a container and froze it for several hours before serving. It doesn't freeze rock hard, and it scoops nicely.)

Ingredients for the tuiles:

2 and 1/2 oz. (5 and 1/3 Tbsp.) of unsweetened butter (An extra high-fat brand like Plugra is often recommended for tuiles.)

3 oz. cake flour or all purpose flour, sifted (one scant cup)

3 oz. powdered sugar, sifted (about 3/4 cup)

2 and 1/2 oz. egg whites (approximately, the whites of two or three large eggs)

In the bowl of a mixer, cream together the butter and powdered sugar; start on low speed, then increase to medium as the sugar mixes in. Add in the egg whites and flour alternately, mixing until combined. The dough should be kind of thick, sticky, and stretchy.

Scoop all of the dough into a disposable pastry bag with an un-cut tip (not critical to have a pastry bag, but helpful to do it this way!) and refrigerate it for one hour or more.

You'll trim the tip off the pastry bag right before you use the dough.

If you'd like to make decorative little designs in the tuiles after they dough has been spread on the templates, separate out a couple tablespoons of the dough before it's chilled and mix a teaspoon or two of cocoa powder into it.

Put this cocoa dough into a very small pastry bag, preferably one made of parchment paper (here's a site that shows how to make one of these; it's a foundation skill for cake decorators and pastry chefs!). It will need to have a tiny opening tip that you will trim with scissors right before you're ready to use the dough.

Once the dough has chilled sufficiently and you're almost ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325.

Take a perfectly flat cookie sheet without sides, and place your Silpat or parchment sheet over it. (This process is stress free if done on a Silpat type of pan liner, just fyi.) If you're using parchment, it should be cut to fit the cookie sheet without overlapping the sides.

Place your tuile template over the Silpat/parchment. Cut the tip off of the filled pastry bag, about an inch up from the point. Squeeze a plump line of dough onto each template shape you'll be using.

With the offset spatula, carefully spread the dough smoothly into each cut-out. You may need to hold the template sheet in place with one hand if you're doing this on parchment.

When all the shapes you're using have been filled, gently lift the edge of the template and peel it off.

If you want to add decorative designs in the dough with the cocoa dough, do it now. Cut the tip of the parchment cone with the cocoa dough in it and create any designs you like, just squeezing a tiny line onto the plain dough.

Bake the tuiles for approximately six minutes or until they just begin to get lightly golden. They bake quickly and burn easily; keep a close eye on them. Using the offset spatula, carefully lift each piece, working with just one at a time, and mold it quickly with your hands or press it over a form (like an upside down drinking glass) to make it into a bowl shape. It will be quite hot so use care. If a tuile cools into a shape you didn't intend, you can put it back in the oven to soften it and try again. The tuiles will start to harden within about 15 or 20 seconds, so you don't have any time to fool around once you start doing this. Store the finished tuiles away from moisture.