lace nut tuiles

when my dw attended the culinary institute of america to take severfal classes (thanks to the dept. of unemployment) she tasted this desert at the free lunch they provided. she said it was fantastic and for a while tried to make it with no luck. now that i have their cookbook with this recipe in it we have tried them and they are great. it takes some doing but the results are well worth it.

4 tbls )1/2 stick) unsalted butter at toom temp.
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbls finely grated orange zest
1/4 cup light corn syrup
3 tbls all purpose flour, sifted
3/4 cup coarsely ground pecans, walnuts or almonds

preheat oven to 350 deg. line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. prepare a stencil by cutting a 3 inch round, oval, or other shape oujt of a piece of stiff cardboard or thin plastic. have an offset spatula as well as shapping implements such as a rolling pin, dowel or teacups ready to use once the batter is mixed.

in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream
together the butter, sugar, and orange zest on medium speed until light in texture and smooth, 5 minutes. gradually add the corn syrup, mixing until smooth. reduce the speed to low and mix in the flour and nuts. scrape down the bowl as needed during creaming and mixing to blend evenly. chill the batter for a few minutes.

place your stencil on the lined baking sheet. drop a small amount of batter into the cutout using a spoon. spread the batter with an offset spatula to evenly fill in the stencil. pick the stencil up and move it to an empty part of the cookie sheet, repeating as necessary. (it is easiest to shap and bake only a few tuiles at a time. keep the batter chilled.)

in small batches, bake until the tguiles are an even light brown color, rotating the pans as necessary to bake evenly, 7 minutes. remove from the oven and allow to set until the tuiles are firm enough to lift but still pliable and warm, about 1 minute. drape the tuiles over the rolling pin, down, inverted tea cups or other implement to shape, or let them cool flat on a wire rack. once they are completely cooled, they can be served or stored in an airtight container between layers of waxed paper.

i find dropping them over the rolling pin works best because with that shape you dcan then fill them with all sorts of goodies such as whipped cream and strawberries, etc.