Tuiles

Makes: 3 to 4 dozen

Time: About 30 minutes

“Tiles” in French, these thin, crisp cookies are traditionally draped over a rolling pin to cool, giving them the curved shape of a Mediterranean roof tile. You can mold them into any shape you like or just keep them flat.

1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Generously grease baking sheets or cover them with parchment paper. (The tuiles will be very thin and delicate after baking, so you want to make it as easy as possible to get them off the sheets.)

2. Whisk the egg whites until foamy. Mix in the sugar and flour, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the melted butter and vanilla, and stir until just incorporated. The dough will be more like a very thick batter than a cookie dough. If it’s not quite spreadable, let it rest for 15 minutes or so.

3. Spoon the batter onto the prepared sheets and use the back of the spoon to spread the batter into thin (less than ¼ inch thick) 2- to 3-inch circles. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until firm and slightly darkened around the edges. Working quickly while the tuiles are still hot, use a metal spatula or butter knife to transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool flat or drape them over a dowel or rolling pin to form the traditional curved tuile shape. These will keep in an airtight container for a couple of days. If they become soggy, recrisp them for a couple of minutes in the oven at 350°F.

CHOCOLATE TUILES Decrease the flour to ¾ cup and add ¼ cup cocoa powder.

COCONUT TUILES Decrease the flour to ⅓ cup and add 2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut. If you can find only sweetened coconut, decrease the sugar to ⅔ cup.

CITRUS TUILES Add 3 tablespoons grated citrus zest at the end of Step 2.

DESSERT CUPS Great for holding berries, pudding, ice cream, or flavored whipped cream: When the cookies come out of the oven, drape them over inverted small ramekins or coffee cups, working quickly before the cookies set and pressing gently to form an upside-down cup shape (see illustration, page 156). Let cool before removing from the ramekins. Fill as you like, just before serving so they don’t get soggy.

FILLED TUILES Like an especially crisp and buttery cannoli: Just after removing the cookies from the oven, wrap each one around a dowel or the handle of a whisk—something roughly 1½ inches in diameter so the cookie can wrap around it completely with its edges overlapping. Press gently where the edges meet, then set aside to cool. Fill with Whipped Cream or Buttercream.

Molding Tuiles

To obtain the classic tuile shape, lay the baked but stillsoft cookies over a rolling pin, dowel, or similar object.