Financiers, or friands as they are called in Oz, originated in a pastry shop in Paris' financial district in 1890. The pastry chef Lasne designed a tea cake that could be eaten on the run and without dirtying the suits of the time poor bankers and brokers who frequented his shop.
The original financiers were shaped like gold bars, as the original moulds were traditionally rectangular. Their name 'financiers' was based either on the clientele they were designed for, or the fact that they were expensive and only the wealthy could afford them.
The recipe itself is not very technical, but there are a few make or break pointers that I ought to share:
- when melting the butter, do so on a low heat and continue to let it cook, swirling it now and then until it starts to change colour to a nutty brown. Allowing it to brown enhances the almond flavor.
- when mixing the batter, do so as little as possible. If the gluten in the flour is activated, the result is a dense cake, rather than a light and fluffy texture.
The original financiers were shaped like gold bars, as the original moulds were traditionally rectangular. Their name 'financiers' was based either on the clientele they were designed for, or the fact that they were expensive and only the wealthy could afford them.
The recipe itself is not very technical, but there are a few make or break pointers that I ought to share:
- when melting the butter, do so on a low heat and continue to let it cook, swirling it now and then until it starts to change colour to a nutty brown. Allowing it to brown enhances the almond flavor.
- when mixing the batter, do so as little as possible. If the gluten in the flour is activated, the result is a dense cake, rather than a light and fluffy texture.
- resting the batter in the fridge for a few hours before baking also assists in making a fluffier cake.
Preheat oven to 230 degrees Celcius. Grease the moulds with butter.
Mix the almond meal, orange rind, icing sugar and flour until combined. Add the egg whites and mix until just incorporated.
Add the butter gradually and mix it into the batter.
Spoon the mixture into the moulds until they are half filled. Rest in the fridge for a few hours. Top with fruit of your choice.
Place the mould into the oven for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to 200 degrees Celcius and bake for 15 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the cakes in the oven for a further 5 minutes.
Remove them from the oven and turn them out onto a wire rack to cool.
They keep in an airtight container for a few days. The ingredients are as follows:
160g butter, melted
1 Cup almond meal
Grated rind of 1 orange
260g icing sugar, sifted
75g plain flour, sifted
5 egg whites
200g fruit of your choice (frozen berries can be used to top the friands)
Et Voila! A quick, yummy petites four that can be enjoyed at any time of the day.
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