Fresh Berries in Pastry Cream with Pink Praline Tuiles
What a pretty dessert, with it’s pink-dotted tuiles looking like sails. This luscious dessert is prepared with an assortment of fresh berries, including the tiny, exquisitely sweet, wild strawberries of France. In the U.S., small organic strawberries or wild strawberries can substitute. Bilberries, a cousin to the American blueberry, are also included in this dessert; use small blueberries in the U.S. The pink pralines are a French specialty, and add color to the tuiles. In the U.S., you will probably not be able to obtain them -- unless a friend returns from France with some for you as a favor; they are optional. You can spatter the tuile dough before cooking with diluted red food coloring to add the festive color flecks if you like.
Ingredients
- Tuiles
- Unsalted Butter - 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon, softened
- Confectioner’s Sugar - 1/3 cup
- Egg Whites - 3
- Flour - 1/3 cup, sifted
- Green Aniseed - 1/2 teaspoon
- Pink Pralines - 1/4 cup, minced (optional)
- Pastry Cream
- Milk - 3/4 cup
- Granulated Sugar - 1/4 cup
- Egg Yolks - 2
- All Purpose Flour - 4 1/2 tablespoons, sifted
- Vanilla bean - 1
- Heavy whipping cream - 1-1/2 cups, whipped to soft peak stage
- Fruit
- Fresh strawberries - 1 cup, hulled
- Fresh Wild Strawberries - 1 cup, hulled
- Fresh Raspberries - 1 cup
- Fresh Red Currants - 1/2 cup
- Fresh Blackberries - 1/2 cup
- Fresh bilberries or blueberries - 1/4 cup
- Fresh mint - 4 sprigs
Instructions
To prepare the tuiles: In a medium mixing bowl, mix the softened butter with the confectioner’s sugar; blend in the egg whites, a little at a time, then gradually mix in the sifted flour. Mix until well blended. Let batter rest for 20 to 30 minutes. When batter is ready, preheat oven to 350 F. Using a spatula, spread out spoonfuls of the tuile batter into delicate drop-shapes on a non-stick baking sheet. Sprinkle with pink praline pieces. Bake until cookies begin to brown, approx. 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately transfer tuiles to cool on a half pipe-shaped mold, curving each cookie. If the cookies become too stiff to curve, place the pan back in the oven for a few moments to warm them again.
To prepare the pastry cream: In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, combine the milk and vanilla bean; bring to a boil. Remove from heat. In a medium mixing bowl, beat eggs with sugar until pale yellow. Add flour, mixing well. Temper hot milk into egg mixture. Cook several minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Transfer to a bowl and cool. Once mixture is cooked, gently fold in whipped cream.
To serve: Using a piping bag, pipe pastry cream into serving bowls. Adorn pastry cream with an assortment of berries; place tuiles into pastry cream and garnish with fresh mint sprigs.
