Financiers or Friands Tested Recipe

Financiers Recipe

Financiers (pronounced fee-nahng-syehr) are lovely French tea cakes, that also go by the name Friands, which aptly means "dainty" or "tasty". Take a bite and you will be rewarded with the delicious flavor of caramelized butter and toasted almonds. Dorie Greenspan in her excellent book Paris Sweets tells us that Financiers were first made in the late 19th century by a pastry chef whose shop was close to the Paris Stock Exchange. The location of his shop must have been influenced him as originally Financiers were baked in rectangular molds that were said to resemble bars of gold. Today you will find them baked in many shapes, including these boat shaped tart molds, or even in small muffin tins.

Financiers start with a batter made by simply stirring together flour, toasted ground almonds, and powdered sugar with lightly beaten egg whites, vanilla extract and brown butter (beurre noisette). Now, when you hear 'brown butter' do not shy away from this recipe. This is just clarified butter, which has been cooked until the milk solids have turned brown and you end up with a fantastically rich fragrant nutty flavored butter. It is not hard to make. But if this is the first time making Financiers and you want to start slowly, than simply make the Financiers using 1/3 cup (80 ml) of melted unsalted butter instead of the brown butter. (For more information on making Clarified Butter.)

The other unusual ingredient used to make Financiers is almond flour (meal) which is just blanched almonds that have been finely ground. It has a wonderful sweet flavor and its texture is similar to corn meal. It can be found in a lot of grocery stores, specialty food stores, or on line. But if you are unable to buy it, you can make your own by processing blanched whole or slivered almonds in your processor until finely ground.

Once the batter is made it can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days. Financiers are delicious plain but are especially pretty when topped with fresh berries, like raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries. If you decide to add the berries they are put on the top of the Financiers about halfway through the baking time. This idea came from Patricia Wells' lovely cookbook The Provence Cookbook, where she tells us that this step is done to partially set the batter so the berries will not sink during baking.

Financiers: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) with the rack in the center of the oven. Place the almond flour (meal) on a baking sheet and bake 6 - 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool.

Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Place 12 rectangular or boat shaped tartlet molds (each holds about 2 tablespoons of batter) on a large baking sheet. (Can also use mini muffin molds. Makes about 16, depending on size of your muffin molds.)

Put 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted let it come to a boil, swirling the pan occasionally. As it boils you will notice that a foam will appear on the butter's surface. Continue to cook the butter until it looks clear and the milk solids have dropped to the bottom of the pan and have turned deep brown. Remove from heat and immediately pour through a cheesecloth-lined strainer. Let cool to room temperature. You will need 1/3 cup (80 ml) of beurre noisette. Use the leftover beurre noisette to butter the molds, using a pastry brush.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, almond flour (meal), confectioners sugar and salt. Make a well in the center and fold in the lightly beaten egg whites, vanilla, and the 1/3 cup beurre noisette. Fill each mold almost to the rim and bake for 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and place a few berries on top of each. Return the molds to the oven and bake a further 5-7 minutes or until the Financiers have become light brown on top and are springy to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. These are best eaten the same day they are made. (The batter will keep a few days in the refrigerator.)

Makes 12 Financiers.

References:

Greenspan, Dorie. Paris Sweets. Broadway Books. New York: 2002.

Wells, Patricia. The Provence Cookbook. Harper Collins Publishers. New York: 2004.

Financiers:

1/3 cup (5 tablespoons) (80 ml) beurre noisette (made from 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter)

1/4 cup (30 grams) all purpose flour

1/2 cup (50 grams) almond flour (meal) or finely ground almonds

3/4 cup (90 grams) confectioners' (powdered or icing) sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 large (90 grams) egg whites, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Fresh berries (optional)