Almond Tuiles Home Made Best Made

Ingredients 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar 1/3 cup all-purpose flour pinch of salt 2/3 cup slivered or flaked blanched almonds

Introduction: The curved roof tiles, called tuiles, on the farmhouses of southern France are the inspiration behind these curved almond cookies. Shaping them is the trickiest part of the recipe, but a little practice will make the process easier and easier. It is also true that the cookies taste just as good when they are flat. Makes about 24. Total time: 40 minutes. Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease two baking sheets. Step 2: In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on high, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in the flour with the salt, and stir in the almonds. Step 3: Drop teaspoonfuls of the dough onto one of the baking sheets, leaving plenty of room for spreading. Flatten each drop with a wet fingertip before putting the baking sheet in the oven. Step 4: Bake 5 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and leave for a few moments to cool on the baking sheet. Step 5: While the cookies are still warm and pliable, carefully lift each one with a spatula and drape it over a rolling pin to give it the characteristic curved shape. Leave for a minute to harden, then carefully remove and finish cooling on racks. (To make yourself more comfortable with this process, start with just three cookies in the first batch; you will soon get the rhythm of removing and handling the hot tuiles in time to shape them.) Store the cooled cookies in airtight containers.