Tulipes Free Form Dessert Cups Food

TULIPES (FREE-FORM DESSERT CUPS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Put the six tablespoons of butter and the sugar into a mixing bowl, and start beating with a wire whisk or with an electric mixer. Beat until light and creamy.
• Beat in the flour and vanilla.
• Beat the egg whites until they stand in soft peaks. Fold the whites into the creamed mixture.
• Select a baking sheet large enough to fit neatly in the oven. Brush the top surface with butter.
• Using a mixing or other round bowl that is five inches in diameter, invert it onto the baking sheet and trace a circle in the light butter coating. Make as many separately traced circles as possible; the maximum may be two or three to a sheet.
• Spoon one or two tablespoons of the batter into the center of each circle, one at a time. Carefully smooth the batter into one very thin layer, less than an eighth of an inch thick, to cover the circle. Continue filling the circles.
• Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake three to three and one-half minutes, watching carefully that the pastries do not burn. Remove the sheet from the oven and immediately lift up the circles one at a time, carefully shaping them while hot (place the brown bottom side up) in the center of a cup (a regular-shape rounded coffee cup or Chinese soup or rice bowl is suitable). When pushed into the center, the edges should be neatly fluted or ruffled. Let cool and remove from the mold.

TULIPES (DESSERT SHELLS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease large cookie sheet.
• In large bowl, with wire whisk, beat egg whites, confectioners' sugar, and flour until well blended.
• Beat in melted butter, vanilla, and salt.
• Make TWO cookies by dropping batter by heaping tablespoons, 4 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.
• With narrow metal spatula, spread batter to form 4 inch rounds.
• Bake cookies until golden around edges, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Place two 2 inch diameter glasses UPSIDE DOWN on work surface. Guessing that the glasses should be short squatty ones.
• With spatula, quickly lift 1 hot cookie and gently shape over bottom of glass.
• Shape a second cookie.
• When cookies are cool, transfer to wire rack. (If cookies become too firm to shape, return them to cookie sheet and place in oven to soften slightly.).
• REPEAT steps five through 11 with remaining batter. (Batter will become slightly thicker upon standing.).
• Store tulipes in single layer in airtight container at room temperature.
• To serve, place on dessert plate and fill with your choice of filling.

DESSERT PASTRIES WITH STRAWBERRIES (TULIPES AUX FRAISES)

Steps:

• Arrange one dessert cup on each of 10 or 12 plates.
• Spoon an equal portion of the pastry cream in the center of each cup. Garnish the top of the pastry cream decoratively with three strawberries.
• Hold a small sieve over the top of each serving and add a little confectioners' sugar. Sprinkle the tops with sugar.