Matcha and Raspberry Financiers

There are so many recipes that require you to use eggs whites or eggs yolks only. This can be troubling to some, as you will be left with more yolks or whites than you would have liked. In the latest recipe that I shared, I used egg yolks and was left with the whites. I normally freeze the whites if I won't use them within 24 hours. However, I had a recipe in mind that called for egg whites and I was quite excited to try it.

The French Vistandine order of nuns developed a perfect recipe to deal with the extra egg white they had: financiers. My recipe is a take on this simple, yet ingenious, cake recipe.

Financiers are almond based and like many almond based recipes they fell out of fashion due to the widespread fear of cyanide poisoning. It wasn't until Chef Lasne, a renowned pastry chef, brought the visitandines, as they were called, to life by the end of 19th century. His shop, next to the Paris stock market, attracted financial workers who flocked to savor his cakes, especially the financiers as they were easy to carry and did not stain. To further promote the cake, he changed the mold and gave it the shape of a gold bar! His marketing strategy worked and the financier was born.

No matter what shape of mold you use, this cake is delicious, with a soft interior, a firm exterior, and a satisfying nutty flavor.

For 12 small financiers you need:

• 100 g egg whites
• 100 g powdered sugar
• 70 g butter
• 70 g almond meal
• 35 pastry flour
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 2 g of matcha (fine green tea powder)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp of rum (optional)
• Raspberries

First mix all the dry ingredients together: flour, almond, salt, matcha and sugar. Sift into a bowl.

Melt the butter and cook it for about 5 min. You need to hear the butter singing and smell a sweet hazelnut aroma filling your kitchen. Turn off the heat and let it cool.

Add the egg whites, the lemon zest, lemon juice and rum to the flour mixture. Mix until you get a homogeneous mixture. Add the butter and mix well again.

Cover with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for at least an hour or better overnight.

Heat the oven at 180C. Fill your molds. I used small ones with a capacity of about 2 tablespoons. Add a couple of raspberries and bake for about 10 min.

I opted for a shorter baking time to preserve the beautiful green given by the matcha powder. In all cases, you need to adjust the baking time depending on the mold you´re using and your oven.

Let the cakes cool for few minutes in the molds. Unmold and place over a wire rack to cool completely.

Sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar and enjoy with a cup of coffee.

These cute little cakes are soft, packed with beautiful sweet and sour flavors, and they melt in your mouth. You will enjoy each and every bite.

A creamy Pavlova with summer fruits.

In my last post I made a sumptuously creamy creme brulée which left me with lots of egg whites! This isn't really a problem as egg whites are extremely versatile, but whenever I have a large batch of whites I almost always like to make a meringue-based recipe. The end result is a recipe that can always be tweaked to suit individual taste. Having this in mind, perhaps the best way to make use of these egg whites is to prepare a delicious Pavlova.

Making a Pavlova seems complicated, but in reality, if you know how to make a meringue, you know how to make a Pavlova. Moreover, a Pavlova is really a fun recipe. With the same base you can create endless combinations of cream and fruit toppings. This time, the creamy layer I opted for is made from mascarpone cheese sweetened with maple syrup. Add some fresh fruits and you have a summary and gluten free dessert. Replace the mascarpone or whipped cream with vegetarian whipped cream and you will have a gluten and lactose free recipe. 


So let's get started.

For 5 mini pavlovas (10cm), you need:

• 90 g egg whites at room temperature
• 150 g super fine white sugar
• few drops of lemon juice and 1/2 tsp of white vinegar
• 1 tsp of cornflour 
• the beans of one vanilla pod
• dash of salt.

First start whipping the egg whites at low speed with the salt, lemon, vanilla and vinegar, increase the speed slowly, when the whites are frothy start adding the sugar one tablespoon at a time. Keep beating until the sugar has dissolved and you have a stiff and shiny meringue!

Now scatter the corn flour over the meringue and with a spatula gently incorporate to the batter. You can pass the flour through a sieve to make sure the flour won't create lumps in the meringue.

Cover a baking sheet with baking paper to be ready to form the mini pavlovas. Some like to delimit with a pencil a circle on the back of the baking paper as a guide when forming the cakes and this what I usually do to get a perfect circle. 

Spoon just enough meringue over the baking sheet to make a nice serving size and then flatten with a spatula but do make sure that the edges are higher so as to have a central depression which you can fill with the cream and fruits after the meringue is baked. Alternatively, you can use a pipping bag to form more elegant and uniform meringues but just make sure to pipe more meringue over the edges to elevate them in comparison to the center.

Bake the pavlovas in a preheated over (between 100 and 120C) for at least an hour. They will be ready when they are firm to touch and they can be detached easily from the baking paper. Leave them to cool off completely before using them.

For the mascarpone cream, you need:

• 200 g mascarpone (at room temperature)
• a tbsp spoon of maple syrup (just enough to sweeten the cheese, remember the pavlovas are really sweet)
• use any king of fruits you like for topping, I used strawberries and cherries
• grated dark chocolate

I added some balsamic vinegar to the strawberries, but you can use them as they are. Mix the cheese with the maple and spoon over  the baked meringue. Finally, add the fruits and the chocolate and you are ready to enjoy a delicate, creamy, light and delicious dessert!