Teatime in Paris! - Almond Financier Teacakes with Jill Colonna

Last Thursday I had a house call from TEATIME IN PARIS cookbook author, Jill Colonna of Mad About Macarons fame.

It's not because I painted her Paris pastry map endpapers, but I love ❤️ this cookbook.

Jill knows all the little tips and secrets to making baking easy for idiots like moi. I can't even ice a cake, though I can paint one and eat it.

I will be making almond financiers while Jill gives instructions. 

1st things first. 

Weigh out the ingredients on my balance (scale).

Only a few days later I spotted this adorable ladybug balance in Pylones window. 

Drool.

Next make the 'beurre noisette' (burnt butter). 

A few days ago I overheard French girls chatting in Galeries Lafayette by the Liberté pastry counter, 

"Oh you must taste my financiers! You brown the butter first. Then they're divine, best ever!"

I reported back to Jill only to find out we were going to do the same thing. The recipe is on page 31.

Jill said when the butter begins to 'chirp' it's done. 

Who knew?

I had big plans to add in apricot jam, honey, raspberries, lemon zest, you name it into the financiers. Hmm..

I feel if you happen to have a French whip among your kitchen equipment you should use it. When in France as they say.

Jill said a plain old spoon 🥄  would do fine.

Financiers are mostly ground almonds with just a 1/4 of regular flour. Is there anything you cannot add lemon zest to? Next time I'll use two lemons 🍋 (untreated please).

The batter rests and cool on my roof.

Time to fill the flexipan molds. No butter required. Yay! 

Jill said, lose the spatula 😳

Drop in the dough with either a pastry bag or 2 🥄🥄 spoons.
Jill says, “it is NOT OK to eat the raw dough.”

Who says? I've been doing it since I was a kid and nothing's happened. OK, its why I don't bake much. Eating uncooked dough doesn't leave very many financiers.

I wish I'd gotten a shot of Jill's face 😨 when I liberally threw the almond slivers helter-skelter on top. Ha!

I did not have a nice flat baking pan for my tiny oven. 

Jill said just fold over several layers of tin foil and use as a base.

Do you like my appropriate knife & fork rug?

Aren't they gorge? I had no clue I could bake but Jill's Teatime in Paris makes it easy to make real French pastry. 

If I can do it, you can too.

Frankly I'd recommend losing the raspberries, pretty as they are. The cakes were too moist in my opinion. Just almond slivers on top make for a crunchier crust. I like the mini 'gold brick' size best. You eat more cake and feel less guilty👍

I felt obliged to taste Angelina's financier the other day for comparison. Heavy and a tad soggy. 

Much easier to make them using Jill's recipe!

Here's the Special Offer!

The first 5 buyers of Jill's book on Amazon get the Paris tea Salon map sent to them.

Buy the book and subscribe to the Paris letters or maps (6-12 months) + an original watercolor of Jill's financiers + the tea salon map.

Next batch of almond financiers will go to Ms. Piggy who lives in a houseboat on the other side of the Seine.