Hazelnut Financiers
When I was baking out of my porch in Chilmark, Martha’s Vineyard, Financiers were part of my morning delivery to Alley’s General Store, along with an assortment of croissants and the muffin of the day. The recipe I used then dated back to my time at Conversation, a Philadelphia patisserie where we baked three dozen Financiers each morning, using a diced hazelnut mixture prepared weekly in a large batch.
Apparently, these little cakes were a favorite of a certain former First Lady with a vacation home on a sprawling tract of land in Aquinnah. She remained a customer when I opened my retail shop in Vineyard Haven.
One day, the phone rang, and on the other end was the unmistakable, high-pitched voice of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis herself, ordering two cakes to be picked up by her assistant in two days. It was a thrill — and nearly forty years later, I still have the powder-blue envelope with directions to my shop and a copy of the $46 check, bearing her distinctive signature.
Financiers were originally baked in small rectangular molds, the resulting golden cakes resembled bars of gold—hence their name, financiers. I like using my old fluted small brioche molds, but mini muffin tins work beautifully as well.
If good quality hazelnut flour is not available, almond flour is a fine substitute. Just lightly toast the almond flour in a 350°F oven.
Hazelnut Financiers
| Yield: 15 to 16 financiers | # of Servings: 12 | Difficulty: Easy |
Ingredients:
1 cup (3.2 oz / 90 g) hazelnut flour (ground hazelnuts)
½ cup + 2 tsp (2.45 oz / 70 g) all-purpose flour
1 ⅔ cup (7.4 oz / 210 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
¾ cup (6 fl oz) egg whites, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
12 tbl (6 oz / 180 g) unsalted butter, but into large pieces
Special tools and equipment needed:
- Mini muffin pan or small fluted non-stick brioche molds
- Heavy bottomed 3-quart saucepan
- Non-stick baker’s spray with flour
Pre-recipe preparations:
- Fill a small mixing bowl with cold water and set aside.
- Place a can of pan release with flour next to the muffin tin.
- Preheat oven to 450°F
Directions:
1. In medium bowl, whisk together the ground hazelnuts, flour, and confectioners’ sugar. Set aside.
2. Place egg whites in large mixing bowl. Add vanilla extract.
1. Turn the butter into Beurre Noisette – place the butter in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat. Once totally melted, increase the heat to medium. When the butter comes to the boil, whisk continuously until it turns a golden brown, about (xx minutes). Remove from the heat and place in the bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process.
2. Place the dry mix on top of the egg whites, pour in the hot beurre noisette, and stir aggressively until the mixture is homogenous. Pour into a one-quart measuring cup.
3. Spray the mini muffin tins or non-stick brioche molds with non-stick baker’s spray with flour.
4.Fill each well ¾ full with batter and bake for 7 minutes. Reduce heat to 400°F and bake for 7 to 8 additional minutes, until the little cakes are firm to the touch.
3. Remove from the molds immediately to a cooling rack using the tip of a paring knife or chopstick.
4. Allow to thoroughly cool to room temperature. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.
