Zekra Pistachio Financiers
Scaled amounts are a guide — baking times and pan sizes do not scale with them.
Ingredients
- 50 g almond flour
- 50 g pistachio flour (finely ground unsalted pistachios)
- 180 g powdered sugar
- 60 g all-purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
- 5 egg whites (not whipped)
- 150 g butter, browned and cooled slightly
- 1 tsp orange blossom water
- Chopped pistachios, to scatter on top
This is Zekra's version of the financier on this site, and the changes are deliberate and small. Half of the almond flour becomes pistachio flour, which turns the crumb green and gives it a rounder, less sweet nuttiness; the almond extract is replaced by a teaspoon of orange blossom water, which is what a Levantine kitchen reaches for where a French one reaches for almond. Everything else — the brown butter, the unwhipped whites, the very hot short bake — is left exactly as in the original recipe, because that is what makes a financier a financier. We have not changed the ratios of sugar, flour or butter.
Method
Whisk together the almond flour, pistachio flour, powdered sugar, flour and salt.
Stir in the egg whites and the orange blossom water until just combined — there is no need to whip them.
Brown the butter in a saucepan over medium heat until it turns golden and smells nutty, then stir it into the batter.
Rest the batter briefly, then spoon it into buttered rectangular financier moulds, filling them about two-thirds full, and scatter chopped pistachios over each.
Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 12-14 minutes, until golden at the edges and springy in the centre.
Turn them out onto a rack to cool.
