Hazelnut Financiers Recipes

HAZELNUT FINANCIERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush 24 cups of mini tart pans with butter; dust lightly with flour, tapping out excess. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. When it begins to sizzle, reduce heat to medium. Cook, swirling skillet occasionally, until butter is browned and fragrant. Skim foam from top, leaving liquid butter behind; remove from heat and let cool.
• Whisk to combine flour, ground hazelnuts, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add egg whites, and whisk until smooth. Stir in brandy. Pour in cooled butter, leaving any dark brown sediment in skillet; whisk to combine. Let batter stand at room temperature 20 minutes or, covered, up to 1 day.
• Spoon 1 heaping teaspoon of batter into each prepared cup, filling each about two-thirds full. Place pans on baking sheets and bake, rotating halfway through, until a toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean, about 13 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes before unmolding.
• Heat jam in a small saucepan over medium, stirring, until melted. Let cool 5 minutes, then brush some over each cake. Place 1 hazelnut on top. Cookies are best served the same day they are baked.

HAZELNUT FINANCIER WITH PLUM COMPOTE AND CREME FRAICHE

Steps:

• One 10-inch springform or layer pan, buttered and the bottom lined with a disk of parchment or waxed paper, or 12 4-inch individual pans, buttered. Set a rack at the middle level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Place the hazelnuts and 3/4 cup of the sugar in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is finely ground. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the flour. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking the butter until it colors slightly, swirling the pan to color it evenly. Remove from heat and add the rum and vanilla extract. Set aside to cool slightly. In a clean, dry bowl, whip the egg whites with the salt until they form a very soft peak. Add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar in a very slow stream, whipping constantly. Continue whipping the egg whites until they hold a soft peak. Alternately fold the hazelnut and butter mixtures into the egg whites, 1/3 at a time. Begin with the hazelnut mixture and end with the butter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan or pans. Smooth the top and sprinkle with the sliced or chopped hazelnuts. Bake the financier for about 50 minutes until well risen and golden, about 30 minutes for the individual cakes. The center of the cake should feel firm when pressed with the palm of the hand. Cool the financier briefly on a rack and remove pan and paper. If some of the hazelnuts on the surface fall off, replace them on the cake. Dust very lightly with confectioners' sugar.
• For the compote, rinse, pit and quarter plums. Combine sugar and lemon juice in a small pan and heat until sugar begins to melt. Stir occasionally until sugar turns to a deep amber caramel. Add butter and water carefully off heat to prevent splattering. Return to heat, bring to a boil and add plums. Simmer a minute or two, add cinnamon and cool. To serve, place a financier off center on a plate and spoon plum compote next to it. Top with Creme Fraiche.

FINANCIERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
• In a bowl, sift together the almond powder, powdered sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, using a whisk or handheld mixer, beat the whites until stiff peaks form. (Or, use a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment.)
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a handheld mixer or a wooden spoon and some stamina), beat the butter until creamy and soft. Add the egg yolks, ne at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in the almond extract. Then add the dry ingredients, beating just until thoroughly combined. The mixture will be a bit stiff. On low speed, slowly add half of the whipped whites, mixing just until combined. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the remaining whites.
• Spoon the mixture into the molds. You want the batter in each mold to be 1 to 1 1/2 inches (2.5 to 4 cm) deep. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the center is bouncy. If you stick it with a knife, it will always be greasy. The best way to test is to press the center with your finger. If it bounces back rather than sinks, it's ready. If you are using paper molds, leave and serve. If you are using metal molds, remove the cakes from the molds and let cool on wire racks. Serve at room temperature.
• Substitute hazelnut powder for the almond powder. You need to toast the hazelnut powder before using it. Spread it on a rimmed baking sheet, place in a preheated 350°F (180°C) oven, and set the timer for 5 minutes so you don't forget about it. Stir it with fork occasionally so it toasts evenly. It is ready when it smells like a Belgian chocolate store. Pour it into a bowl and let it cool completely before using, then sift with the other ingredients as directed in the recipe. This version is delicious with a few apricot halves gently pushed into the top of the cake batter before baking.
• When the big Italian grapes arrive in the market in their foam-padded wooden crates, it's an exciting time. Press them into the cake batter before baking, just like the apricots above.
• Simmer thick orange slices in simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water; dissolve the sugar in the water) for 1 hour. Add 1/4 cup (60 ml) Irish whiskey to the batter with the almond extract, and press the orange slices into the top of the cake batter before baking.
• Whisk 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter into the batter before adding the egg yolks. Sink 15 red candied peanuts (French burnt peanuts) into the top of each cake before baking.
• Whisk 2 tablespoons pistachio paste into the batter before adding the egg yolks. Dust the top of the cake batter with chopped pistachios before baking.
• Peel, halve, and core apples. Place cut side up on a small baking sheet, top each half with a pat of unsalted butter and 1 teaspoon sugar, and bake in a preheated 400°F (200°C) oven for 15 minutes, or until browned and puffy. Gently press an apple half, rounded side down, into the top of each cake before baking.
• Take a handful of bold-colored, sugar-coated almonds and crush them with a rolling pin. Add 1/4 cup (60 ml) Strega, anisette, or alkermes (sometimes spelled alchermes, a typical Tuscan liqueur) to the batter with the almond extract. Dust the top of the cake batter with the crushed almonds before baking.

FIG-HAZELNUT FINANCIERS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a small saucepan, melt butter, letting it cook until it turns nut brown and smells toasted, about 5 minutes. Pour into a heatproof bowl and let cool. (Do not scrape up any black bits from the bottom of the pot.)
• In a large bowl, combine sugar, hazelnut flour, all-purpose flour and salt. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and set on low speed (or use a whisk and a strong arm), beat in egg whites until flour mixture is damp. Add butter and beat on medium-high speed (or vigorously by hand) until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla. At this point, the batter can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.
• Trim stems off figs and slice each one crosswise into 3 rounds; you will have 9 fig rounds.
• Butter and flour nine 1/2-cup muffin cups. Divide batter between cups and top each with a slice of fig. Bake until financiers are golden brown and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before unmolding.

HONEY-HAZELNUT FINANCIERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Butter eight 3x2" mini loaf pans or a standard 12-cup muffin pan. Toast 1 cup hazelnuts on a small rimmed baking sheet, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Let cool (do not remove skins). Pulse hazelnuts, flour, and salt in a food processor until finely ground.
• Place 10 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add pod. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until butter foams, then browns (do not let burn), 5-8 minutes. Discard pod and scrape vanilla butter into a medium bowl. Whisk in honey.
• Increase oven heat to 400°. Whisk egg whites in a large bowl just to break up, add brown sugar, and whisk until mixture is smooth. Fold in dry ingredients in 2 additions, then fold in butter mixture just until smooth.
• Coarsely chop remaining 1/4 cup hazelnuts. Scrape batter into pans and top with hazelnuts. Bake financiers until golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 15-20 minutes for loaves, 10-15 for muffins. Let cool 5 minutes in pans, then transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely.
• DO AHEAD: Financiers can be made 1 day ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.