I love financier. And not just because I worked in finance and therefore am a bit of a financier myself! They are French almond and brown butter spongecakes that are just delightful to eat and fun to make. The name for them, in theory, comes from the fact that the cakes resemble bars of gold, so they were immediately associated with people who deal with things of high value. Egg whites are whipped until cloud-like and folded through brown butter and almond meal to create this super light texture, while the sugars and brown butter almost crystalize the exterior so that you get a nice crisp to the cakes. I rippled the cakes with blueberry coulis as well as placed a bit of goat cheese inside of them to add tartness, tanginess, and creaminess, just so that these financier can 100% stand on their own. I also just find the appearance of these to be mesmerizing, with the dark purple coulis really adds a beautiful contrast to the classic golden-brown sheen of the cake! These little financier can be treated just like a muffin, in that they were great with a cup of tea, served for either an afternoon snack or even as breakfast!

For the blueberry coulis:
1 pint blueberries
juice and zest from 1 lemon
2 tbsp granulated sugar
a pinch of salt

Reduce down until the blueberries are completely softened. Press through a sieve and remove all of the solids. Continue to reduce down the liquid until it is thick enough to generously coat the back of a spoon. Refrigerate until cooled down.

For the almond financier:
4 egg whites
1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
a pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter, browned and cool down
1 cup almond meal
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4oz goat cheese
Blueberry coulis*

In a bowl, whip together your egg whites with sugar and salt to stiff peaks. Mix the vanilla, brown butter, and almond meal together in another bowl. Sift into that the flour and fold in the egg whites. Line a 12-cavity muffin tin with cooking spray or any leftover brown butter. Divide your batter into the 12 cavities. In a bowl, mix together the goat cheese until softened. Place small amounts of it into each tin. Then ripple into each tin of unbaked financier batter your blueberry coulis. Bake the cakes at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Allow the cakes to fully cool before removing.