Tuiles are useful but impressive things to make. They are a boost to a quick dessert of ice cream or poached fruit. I hadn’t made them for ages but, for an impromptu lunch party, they were just the thing.

They are a good way to use up a spare egg white left over from making mayonnaise or a quiche. A good variation is to add a teaspoon of finely grated orange peel with the flour.

This recipe makes 20 biscuits.

Oven at 190°C.

75g butter at room temperature
75g caster sugar (golden caster sugar if you like)
1 egg white
55g plain flour
50g blanched almonds, very finely chopped
Sprinkling of icing sugar

In a large bowl, beat the sugar with the butter until light. Add the egg white and flour and beat until mixed. Add the chopped almonds (if in a frantic hurry you could use ground almonds here instead as they do need to be very finely chopped) and mix.

Line a large baking tray with a baking sheet and, using a teaspoon, place six mounds of the biscuit mixture well spaced. Cook for 6 – 8 minutes or until the edges of the tuiles are caramel colour and the centres begin to turn.

Remove the tray from the oven and leave for about 20 seconds before removing the tuiles using a spatula. Firm them gently round a rolling pin for a minute and then leave to cool on a cake rack. Using a sieve, give the tuiles a dusting of icing sugar.

These biscuits will keep for a few days in an airtight tin.