My last trip to Paris included an espresso on the first day inside the ground floor at Galeries Lafayette, accompanied by an incredible pistachio financier. It was made in a fancy oblong mold with an indent in the top, perfect for an nontraditional strip of coordinating pastry cream on top. It cut right through my jet lag, and I have been thinking about it ever since. Financier are traditionally baked in rectangular molds, but any small mold shape will do. I have small fluted tartlet pans, but if you don’t have any molds, a mini muffin pan will work as well. They are lovely with a cup of coffee any time in the day, and though the pastry cream was a fancy touch in Paris, they are typically served as is or dusted with confectioners’ sugar. The warm, toasty notes of brown butter and ground nuts can easily stand on their own without accompaniment.
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Makes 24-30 financier
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (120 grams) unsalted shelled pistachios, divided
- ¼ cup (30 grams) blanched almonds
- 2 cups (227 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 cup (114 grams) cake flour
- 4 (120 grams) egg whites
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) heavy cream
Instructions
Make the Financier:
- In a small saucepan set over medium heat, melt and cook the butter until golden and nutty and the foam has subsided, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In a food processor, grind ¾ cup of the pistachios and the almonds until fine. Add to a medium-sized mixing bowl with the confectioners’ sugar and cake flour and whisk until combined and there are no large lumps.
- Add the egg whites to the nut mixture and mix until it forms a uniform paste and then slowly add the browned butter and heavy cream until incorporated. Refrigerate for at least an hour and up to two days.
- Coarsely chop the remaining pistachios and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Butter and flour the molds and place on a baking sheet. Fill each mold about ¾ full and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.
- Bake for 10 to 14 minutes depending on the size of the mold, until brown on the edges and puffed in the center. Set on a rack to cool slightly for 5 to 10 minutes, unmold and cool completely. Serve once cool or store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
