This time of the year, when cold weather starts to peek out and a cup of hot tea is very much appreciated, I turn into petits fours mode. I like to store in a cake tin some of those little cakes to offer when friends come and visit me. They are just the right size to go with your cuppa. So, stay tuned, as you’ll find a few petits fours recipes in the blog!
French financiers usually contain ground almonds and are baked in small rectangular loaves moulds. That’s why they have probably been called financiers: once baked and out of the oven, they were meant to resemble small golden bricks. This version is baked into small fluted tart tins, though you can actually use whatever shape you like, as long as they are a bite size. Instead of almonds, we are going to use pistachios ground, as well as the distinctive ingredient of the traditional recipe: the brown butter. Apart from that, which can be a bit intimidating the first few times, the recipe is pretty straightforward and forgiving.
Pistachio financiers
Ingredients
- 120 gr unsalted pistachios kernels
- 100 gr caster sugar
- 120 gr unsalted butter
- 50 gr all purpose flour
- 4 medium egg whites
- pinch of salt
Directions
- Step 1 Place the butter in a heavy bottom saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, lower the heat and leave the butter to become golden brown. Turn off the heat, strain the butter through a fine mesh strainer and allow to cool down
- Step 2 Put the pistachio kernels and sugar in a food processor and grind until you get a fine powder
- Step 3 Sieve the pistachio powder and flour in a medium size bowl and mix to combine
- Step 4 Add the cooled butter, the egg whites and pinch of salt. Mix well to blend all the ingredients
- Step 5 Place the bowl in the refrigerator and allow to rest overnight. When ready, preheat the oven at 180ºC, then butter and flower 8 fluted mini tart tins
- Step 6 Evenly distribute the batter in the moulds and bake for about 20 min, or until a toothpick comes out clean
- Step 7 Serve the financiers warm, dusted with a little powder sugar and some pistachios roughly chopped
