Tuiles Cookies

Tuiles is a classic, thin, crispy French cookie, which has a shape similar to a roofing tile (hens “Tuiles” in French). The Tuiles is considered to be a prestigious and expensive cookie and it can be found at any french patisserie.
It is served in tea parties all over the world, with ice cream or sorbet, and as a great tasting garnish for desserts at gourmet restaurants.

Ingredients
(makes about 36)

• 1/2 cup sugar powder
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (120 gr) soft butter
• 2.5 table spoons honey
• 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 egg yolks

Instructions

1. Heat oven up to 300 F (150 C)
2. In a medium size bowl - mix sugar powder, flour and salt.
3. In a mixer bowl - Whip butter and honey together until a creamy mixture is formed. Add the vanilla extract.
4. Add the flour mixture twice, alternately with the egg yolks and whip again until the mixture in constant.
5. Using a higher mixer speed continue whipping for 1 minute, until mixture is light and completely smooth.
6. Place a non stick baking paper on a baking dish (you might need more than 1).
   Pour 1 teaspoon of the mixture at a time, over baking paper, 3 inches apart.
7. Using a spatula or the back of a spoon, flatten each cookie to a 3.5 inch diameter circle. Try and make them as thin and constant in thickness as possible.
8. Put in oven 1 baking dish at a time. Bake for 8 minutes or until cookies are light golden brown.
9. Using a spatula, quickly remove 1 cookie at a time from baking paper (while still hot).

If you want to get that classic rounded tile shape:
Place cookie on top of a rolling pin and tighten it on.
The cookies will cool very fast, take it off the rolling pin and place in a plate.
Do so with all the other cookies. You should work fast, Tuiles handled and rounded after cooling will crack or break. You could put it back in the oven for 15-30 seconds to soften it and handle it again.

Have fun,

Nitzan

Cherry Clafoutis (What the hell is Clafoutis?!)

This recipe is very easy to follow, and basically is a warm cherry bake. Like with the case of other culinary kitchen related terms, you might find your self asking, what in god’s name is “Clafoutis”?? Well, there is more than one answer to that. The first is that that’s the name of the oval dish used in making this delicious bake. The second one is that it has originated in the french verb which means “to fill, to fit”. Now when we’re that much smarter, lets get started:

Ingredients

For the bottom part:

• 4 tablespoons almond concentrate
• 1 pound (1/2 kilo) pitted ripe cherries
• 2 pears- peeled, cut into small cubes
• 3 tablespoon Brandy OR Cherry Brandy
• 1 cup sugar

For the topping

• 2/3 cup flour
• 1/4 cup ground almonds
• 1 cup sugar
• a pinch of salt
• 6 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup whipping cream

Instructions

1. In a cooking pot- put cherries, pears, almond concentrate, the alcohol you chose and sugar and cook for 10 minutes.
2. Lay out and flatten warm mixture in an oval baking dish (The good old  Clafoutis!). Let cool for a short while.
3. Heat oven up to 350 F (180 C)
4. Using a mixer or a food processor - mix flour, almonds, sugar, salt, egg yolks and whipping cream together.
5. Gently pour mixture over cherry mix.
6. Bake for 30 minutes and let cool before serving.

Tastes amazing, go try it!

Nitzan

Pears in Red Wine and Spices

A classic wonderful dessert, which could be made in advance. You should buy a great Vanilla ice cream and serve it aside the pears - they go sooo good together. Plus- with the contrast between it’s dark red and clean white colors, this dessert would make any dessert table more interesting to look at…

Ingredients
(makes 4 portions)

• 8 small pears
• 1 red wine bottle
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 3 aniseed “stars”

Instructions
- Peel peers but leave top branch whole. Place pears in a medium size cooking pot and pour wine in.
Add   spices and sugar. Pour water until pears are covered.
- Heat up using a high flame until water is boiling. Lower flame to medium flame and cook for about 35 minutes or until pears are soft (but not falling apart).
- Could be made up to 2 days prior to serving. Could be served either hot or cold.

Have a good one!

Nitzan

Quick Chocolate Petit Fours

Those small, high-end chocolate candies are surprisingly easy to make. Don’t forget to buy small paper cupcake cups to house those yummy dessert treats.

Ingredients

• (makes about 20-25 pieces)
• 1/2 pound (200 gr) dark chocolate
• 1/4 cup raisons
• 1/4 cup roasted almonds
• 1/4 cup peeled roasted pistachios

Instruction

1. Prepare a “double pot”: 2 cups of boiling water in a pot - on top of it place a heat prove bowl or a second pot, without it actually touching the boiling water.
2. Break chocolate to small pieces, put inside upper pot and wait till chocolate is melted (using medium size flame). Mix until all chocolate chunks are gone. Take off flame.
3. Add raisons and pistachios (leave some aside for garnishing). Mix together.
4. Fill each paper cup with chocolate mix and garnish with pistachios on top.
5. Place in fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Enjoy,

Nitzan

Quinoa and Cranberry Salad

Food, like many other things, is developing by trends sometimes. Without a doubt, both Quinoa and Cranberry are somewhat of hit items, because of their nutritional trades and their good taste. This trendy and colorful salad is good for any occasion, as a side dish or even a light main dish.

Ingredients
(makes about 4 portions)

• 2 cups un boiled Quinoa
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup dried unsweetened cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 chopped celery branch
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped purple onion
• 1 tablespoon coriander, 1 table spoon mint, 1 tablespoon parsley - by taste
• Salt and pepper - by taste

Instruction

1. Wash quinoa in a fine net strainer. Shortly fry in a cooking pot with 1 teaspoon oil. Add 3 glasses of water and pinch of salt and wait until water is boiling.
2. Cover cooking pot and let quinoa cook for 15 minutes, until all water is absorbed and quinoa grains are slightly transparent.
3. In a bowl, mix all ingredients together, add salt and pepper and let cool in fridge before serving.

Easy and quick, right?

Nitzan