The PISTACHIO FINANCIER are soft, delicate and indulgent little cakes commonly found in French pâtisseries and boulangeries. They are very quick to make and have a delicate yet sublime taste. Egg whites, butter and almonds are the traditional ingredients. I replaced the almonds with pistachios to suit my taste, but you can personalize them however you prefer. They are perfect to enjoy with afternoon tea, but also ideal for breakfast or as an after-meal sweet, perhaps to accompany coffee, as the French do.
The original shape should be that of a small flattened ingot, but I wanted to innovate the tradition by using a chocolate mold, giving them a distinctive shape.
The little cakes are said to have been created by the pastry chef Lasne, who had his shop near the Paris Stock Exchange. It seems he decided to honor the businessmen who passed his window with a rectangular sweet that evoked the typical shape of a gold bar. He certainly created a little treasure…
SEE OTHER FRENCH PASTRY RECIPES:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: French
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 49.26 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 5.50 (g) of which sugars 4.08 (g)
- Proteins 0.86 (g)
- Fat 2.78 (g) of which saturated 1.44 (g)of which unsaturated 1.30 (g)
- Fibers 0.19 (g)
- Sodium 25.96 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 11 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites (about 2.5 oz (70 g) at room temperature)
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar (about 80 g)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/4 cup Bronte DOP pistachios (or pistachio flour (about 30 g))
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 30 g)
- 3 1/2 tbsp butter (melted and cooled (about 50 g / 1.8 oz))
Tools
- 1 Mold for financier
- 1 Electric whisk
- 1 Food processor
- 2 Bowls
- 1 Spatula
Steps
Preparing the PISTACHIO FINANCIERS is very easy and quick. First, toast the pistachios in a small skillet for 2 minutes, stirring often to avoid burning them. Alternatively, you can use pistachio flour.
Let them cool, place them in the food processor and grind them finely.
Put the resulting ground pistachios in a bowl with the flour and mix.
In a bowl place the egg whites at room temperature, a pinch of salt and the powdered sugar. Then whisk them for 10 minutes until firm and frothy.
Add the dry ingredients in two additions and gently fold them in with a spatula using slow upward motions.
Melt the butter in the microwave or over a double boiler and let it cool. Add it in a thin stream to the egg white mixture and incorporate well by gently mixing with the spatula.
Place the batter into a silicone financier mold, filling each cavity completely.
Bake in a preheated oven at 428°F for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool completely before unmolding.
PISTACHIO FINANCIERS will remain soft for several days if stored well in a tin box or an airtight container.
TIPS
If you don’t have the classic Financier mold, you can easily use mini loaf pans, mini muffin tins or, for a more attractive shape, madeleine molds.
