Author Notes
Any foodie travelling to Paris, will be queuing at Ladurée to try their famous Macarons. For me, Tea in Paris is so much more than Macarons – Financier is my thing!
Financier is neither a cookie nor a pastry, it’s a small rectangular light and moist teacake.
The basis of the Financier is almond flour, beurre noisette (brown butter), egg whites, powdered sugar and a little flour.
Financiers are traditionally baked in small rectangular moulds. The story goes that a Pastry Chef, whose shop was near the Financial district in Paris, started baking these cakes in small rectangular moulds that resembled gold bars. So they were named “financiers" which means financial.
Financiers are normally served freshly baked at tea time.
The financier is very simple and quick to make. Any French pastry book will give you more or less the same proportions, in grams. I am giving you the proportions I normally use, modified to ounces, as I can’t establish what they are in cups.
The almond meal in the Financiers lends itself to be changed by hazelnuts or pistachios. I chose to use ground pistachios and Rose Water to give it a Middle Eastern flair and the raspberries, both whole and in sauce.
Hope you like it. - Maria Teresa Jorge
—Maria Teresa Jorge
Test Kitchen Notes
Pistachio and rose water is a classic combo for a reason. The raspberries are a great addition to these financiers. I'd recommend filling the molds about half-full before adding the raspberries. If you don't have financier molds, muffin tins work fine. And don't skip the sauce, the extra touch of raspberry is the perfect addition. - biffbourgeois —Stephanie Bourgeois
Ingredients
- Financiers
-
6.2 ounces
Icing sugar
-
5.3 ounces
Butter no salt
-
5.3 ounces
Egg whites (4 large or 5 medium)
-
3 ounces
Pistachios ground - no salt, no skin
-
1.8 ounces
Flour - all purpose
-
1/2 tablespoon
Rose Water
-
1 teaspoon
baking powder
-
pinch of salt
- Raspberry Sauce
-
7 ounces
Raspberries
-
1/2 cup
Sugar
-
1/2 cup
water
Directions
-
Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.
-
Butter and flour Financier rectangular moulds. If using non-stick silicone moulds no need to prepare. You can find them online in the US.
-
In a small pan melt the butter until it turns golden brown. Allow to cool.
-
In a bowl, measure the icing sugar, flour, ground pistachios, salt and whisk to remove any lumps. Add the egg whites, the Rose Water and the cooled brown butter and stir with a whisk or spatula, until smooth.
-
Fill the moulds to 3/4. Put 2 or 3 fresh raspberries on top and put in the oven.
Immediately lower the temperature to 400 degrees and bake 3 minutes.
-
Lower the temperature to 350 and bake another 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown.
-
Allow to cool in moulds.
-
For the Raspberry Sauce:
In a pan add the sugar and water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer 3 minutes until mixture gets syrupy.
Process the remaining raspberries with the sugar syrup.
Strain through a fine mesh sieve, pressing with a rubber spatula.
-
Serve the Financiers with the raspberry Sauce.
See what other Food52ers are saying.