Chamomile Financiers

… and how to turn them into an easy weeknight dessert with some Chamomile poached pears and Crème Anglaise

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One of my husband’s favourite dishes is Spaghetti alla Carbonara. And after all the time I have spent in Italy, including watching multiple friends’ nonna/mamma/zia etc. cook, I like to think my Carbonara is decent (yes, I use Guanciale and Pecorino Romano and no, no cream or any of that nonsense). Now, as someone who hates food waste, the one issue I have with Carbonara is that it requires lots of egg yolks. In fact, most recipes for 4 people suggest you use 6 egg yolks. So even in a household of 2 adults (plus a toddler), a single dinner of Carbonara leaves us with 3 surplus egg whites. If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, be it from making Carbonara or a batch of ice cream, a custard tart etc. then I have just the solution for you: Financiers. 

Dainty little French almond cakes, Financiers are the perfect thing to bake if you have some egg whites to use up. You can switch up the flavour whichever way you like (or even use a different nut - walnut cardamom Financiers would be a great idea come to think of it) and you could also top your Financiers with some fresh fruit before you bake them. And in less than 30 minutes you end up with these delicious nutty little cakes, perfect to enjoy with your afternoon cup of tea or coffee.

I have been making Financiers for years and love playing around with different flavours for them. So today I wanted to share with you a recipe for Chamomile Financiers. And I also wanted to show you how to turn a batch of these Financiers into a simple weeknight dessert or the perfect simple dessert to serve after your next dinner party with your friends or family.

 Now, I am fully aware that many of us probably have somewhat negative associations with Chamomile. After all Chamomile tea is what many of our parents will have forced us to drink when ill as a child. It’s also still served in hospitals a lot. But bear with me, because Chamomile is actually phenomenal in desserts. Admittedly I struggle to accurately describe its flavour - it’s both fresh and floral but also a bit hay-like and it is definitely a delicate flavour (unless you let it steep for too long in which case it can become unpleasantly bitter). Either way, I think it’s the perfect flavour to use in early spring and I find it pairs well with strawberries but also pears (not surprising maybe given that the word Chamomile (via French and Latin) derives from the Greek word for “earth apple”). And unlike some of the other flavours I like to play around with, Chamomile is really accessible - in fact I bet you have a box of Chamomile teabags at the back of your cupboards. And, if not, all supermarkets and most corner stores will sell it. 

In addition to the recipe for the Chamomile Financiers, below you will also find a recipe for pears poached in Chamomile tea and a Crème Anglaise, i.e. a thin, pouring custard, to serve alongside your Financiers turning them into a simple yet delicious dessert.

Chamomile Financiers with Chamomile Poached Pears and Crème Anglaise

Serves 6

Ingredients

For the Financiers

2 egg whites

50g sugar

60g ground almonds

20g all purpose flour

2 tsp ground chamomile (ca. 2 teabags worth)

Pinch of salt

75g melted butter (+ salt for greasing the financiers tins)

For the Poached Pears

3 pears, peeled, cored and cut into quarters

300ml water

2 tbsp sugar (or more to taste)

3 tsp ground chamomile

For the Creme Anglaise

250ml milk

2 egg yolks

25g sugar

Start by making the financiers. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and grease 6 financiers tins with butter.

In a bowl whisk together the egg whites with the sugar until foamy. Then stir in the ground almonds, all purpose flour, ground chamomile and pinch of salt until well amalgamated. Lastly, add the melted butter and stir until you have a smooth batter.

Distribute the batter between the financiers tins and bake for ca. 20-25 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the centre of the financiers comes out clean. Leave to cool in their tins for 5 minutes before carefully removing the financiers from the tins and placing them on a cooling rack.

While the financiers are baking, prepare the poached pears. Bring the water to a boil, add the sugar and chamomile and turn off the heat. Set aside to steep for 3-4 minutes. Strain discarding the chamomile. Add the quartered pears and return the pot to the stove. Simmer the pears until soft - this should take 10-15 minutes depending on how ripe and soft your pears were to begin with. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile you can prepare the Crème Anglaise. Heat the milk until it starts to steam then pour about a third of the milk over the yolks and sugar in a separate bowl and whisk until smooth. Then pour the contents of the bowl back into your saucepan with the rest of the milk and cook until low until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Set aside to cool.

To serve place one financier and a couple of pear segments on a plate and pour over a little of the Crème Anglaise.