Courmayeur, Valle d'Aosta
Tegole ('roof tiles') are wafer-thin almond and walnut biscuits baked directly on a buttered baking sheet and lifted while warm to curve over a rolling pin, mimicking the curved terracotta roof tiles of Alpine chalets. They are a speciality of Courmayeur, designed as an accompaniment to dessert wines and digestifs. The dough is a simple tuile mixture: egg whites, sugar, butter, flour, with finely ground almonds and roughly chopped walnuts.
Shatteringly crisp, nutty, faintly buttery — a biscuit so thin it dissolves rather than breaks, designed to accompany a glass of Alpine dessert wine
{"Batter made with stiffly folded egg whites to keep the tuile airy and thin","Spread paper-thin on parchment (1–2mm) — thicker and they won't crisp","Bake at 190°C, 6–8 minutes; watch constantly — the margin between golden and burnt is 90 seconds","Lift immediately from the tray while hot and drape over a rolling pin or bottle for the curved shape","They set in the curved shape within 2 minutes; after that they cannot be re-shaped without breaking"}
{"Store in an airtight tin with a silica packet — they absorb humidity rapidly","A pinch of cinnamon and a scrape of vanilla pod in the batter is the Courmayeur version","Serve alongside a glass of chilled Moscato di Chambave — the mineral sweetness is a natural pairing"}
{"Too thick spreading — they bake as chewy cookies rather than crisp wafers","Opening the oven repeatedly — temperature drop prevents even baking","Waiting too long to shape — they become brittle before they are curved"}
Dolci della Valle d'Aosta — Pasticceria Tradizionale