Brown Butter Financiers with Maple Cream

Springtime in Edmonton, with its 5-foot snow banks, brown slush and icy winds, makes me a little wistful for the springs I've had in other places. In England, March through June is a storybook season: a little gloomy at first, then optimistically budding, then verdant, blossoming, and lush. You kind of feel like having a picnic at all times. March in Montreal is icy and cold, sure, but it's also "sugaring off" season - or as I like to call it, MAPLE TIME - when dozens of little shacks set up all over the city, offering every kind of maple confection. The smell of warm maple syrup is in the air, and it's effing magical. 

So this is kind of a catch-all post - a springtime tribute to two of my favourite places. A maple post in March is down to my nostalgia for Montreal, and the original idea comes from a dessert I had at a restaurant in London, Yotam Ottolenghi's Soho eatery Nopi (a restaurant close to my heart: I went there once with my fellow food lover Marielle and her parents for an insane feast, and another time with my friend Christina right before we went to see Derren Brown at the Shaftesbury Theatre). 

When we ordered the financiers with maple cream at Nopi, we were told that it would be a 15 minute wait - the financiers (tiny almond tea cakes) were baked fresh to order. They came to our table on a wooden board, warm out of the oven... a simple, delicious, perfectly shareable little treat. 

Both elements of this recipe are insanely nom-able at any temperature, but let me just say that if you dunk a warm financier in cold cream, you will absolutely die and go to dessert heaven.

Brown Butter Financiers & Maple Cream

Makes about 12-15 financiers, with maple cream to spare

Maple Cream

(Adapted from Ree Drummond's recipe on The Food Network)

2 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/4 tsp maple extract

Financiers
(From The Joy of Baking)

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup ground almonds

3/4 cup icing sugar, sifted

1/8 tsp salt

3 egg whites

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

To make the maple cream: Pour the cream, maple syrup, and corn syrup into a saucepan over medium-low heat, bringing to a gentle boil. Stir with a wire whisk and watch it closely until thickened by about 1/3, or about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the maple extract. Refrigerate the mixture in a glass or ceramic bowl until it's cold and thick. Or, if you're impatient like me, until it's tepid and "thick enough." ;)

To make the financiers: Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring it to a boil, swirling the pot every once in a while. Foam will form on the surface - keep swirling and checking the colour of the butter. Once the milk solids have dropped to the bottom and the butter has turned a rich golden brown colour, remove the pan from heat (this will all take about 5 minutes). Strain the butter into a dish using cheesecloth (or, if you don't have any, use something with a fine mesh like a bacon splatter screen or sieve). Discard the brown milk solids that are strained out, and allow the butter to cool to room temperature. Once it's cool, measure out 1/3 cup - that's what you'll need for the recipe - and use the rest to butter a mini muffin tin.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, almonds, salt, and sifted icing sugar; make a well in the centre. In a small bowl, gently beat the egg whites and vanilla together. Add the butter and egg white mixture to the dry ingredients all at once and gently stir until combined. Fill the muffin tins about 3/4 full with batter, then bake for about 9 minutes; the financiers should be golden around the edges and the tops should spring back when lightly pressed. Cool for a bit on a cooling rack and serve warm (ideal). 

Serving shouldn't be too fancy - just pile the financiers on a plate or board along with a bowlful of maple cream. Dunk, nom, repeat.