Financiers

On my last trip to New York, I tasted my first financier and have been anxious to recreate that beautiful moment states away in Ol' Virginia.

Sometimes I think Northern Virginia has got it going on in terms of being on top of food trends and then I go to New York and realize we're ages behind. Ages, not even years. People are still flipping out over maple bacon cupcakes over here for cryin' out loud… like they didn't ever hear about the whole all-bacon-everything phenomenon that swept the country years ago. And cupcakes!? Don't even get me started.

Anyway, financiers are nothing new, but certainly hard to find in NoVA. They're like little tea cakes and are made of almond flour, egg whites, powdered sugar, and France's favorite ingredient - butter.

The beauty of the batter lies in its versatility. One batter is used and various toppings added to keep things interesting. I used four different toppings - chocolate chips, blackberries, pistachios, and strawberries with almond slices.

That's my kind of recipe. This is a great way to use up any odds and ends in your fridge/pantry - pears, apricots, pumpkin seeds, coconut, whatever floats your boat!

But wait… it gets even better!!! The batter keeps for a few days. So make it ahead of time and bake them off as inspiration (or a surprise house guest) hits you!

Alright, so before you roll up your sleeves and dive right in, there's something you should know. Traditionally, these are baked into little bar shapes, said to resemble little bars of gold, hence their name.  I ordered a lovely silicone pan HERE, but if you can't possibly wait/don't care to uphold tradition, then you could just as easily use a muffin or cupcake pan, filling it about 1/4 of the way up.

Alright, now let's get down to it. I used Bon Appetit's Recipe found HERE.

You Will Need:

1 stick plus 5 Tablespoons butter

1 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups plus 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar

5 large egg whites

2 Tablespoons honey

Assorted ingredients for toppings

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until browned bits begin to form. Continue to simmer, frequently scraping up browned bits at the bottom of the pan, until fragrant and dark brown but not burnt, 6-7 minutes. Let cool for 3-4 minutes.

Meanwhile, process almonds and flour in a food processor until nuts are finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl; whisk in powdered sugar. Add egg whites; mix until smooth. Fold in honey.

Fold browned butter into batter. (DO AHEAD: You can make the batter up to three days ahead. Cover and chill until ready to use.)

(It will look like a lot of butter. Trust in the French. Just let it happen.)

Arrange a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375 degrees. Coat pan with non stick spray and a dusting of flour. Pour 1 generous tablespoon of batter into each muffin pan (or approximately half of a teaspoon into the financiers pan). Top with ingredient of your choice.

Make sure to cut any fruit you are using into smaller pieces/slices. I cut the blackberries I was using in half.

Also, no need to press these toppings into the batter. Just let it rest on top.

The batter will kind of eat up the topping as it bakes. If you use too thick of a piece of fruit or mash it down too much the bottom will not caramelize and it will be soggy and sad.

Bake until cakes are golden brown and just cooked through, 12-15 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature. Dust with additional powdered sugar, if you wish.

I can't think of a time or place that these would not be appropriate. 

To quote the Doc:

I would eat them in a house!

I would eat them with a mouse!

I would eat them here and there.

I would eat them ANYWHERE!