Chocolate Financier with Ganache and Raspberries

1/13/2004

4 tablespoons 1/2 stick) unsalted

butter

10 ounces high-quality bittersweet

chocolate, finely chopped

11/4 cups heavy whipping cream

2 1/2 cups almond flour or almond

meal (look for almond flour in

specialty or Middle Eastern

markets; or grind chilled almonds

in a food processor with a metal

blade until as fine as possible, but

not until it reaches butter)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

7 large egg whites, at room

temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

Master Ganache (recipe follows)

Fresh raspberries

Place oven rack in center of oven. Spray a 10-by-2-inch round cake pan with pan spray, line with a piece of parchment paper, then coat paper lightly with pan spray. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until solids separate and brown to a dark golden color, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool at room temperature until it reaches 70 degrees Fahrenheit, about 30 minutes. Don't chill; it needs to remain liquid. Set aside.

Place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Immediately pour hot cream over chocolate. Tap bowl on counter to settle chocolate into cream, then let stand 30 seconds. Using a ribber spatula, slowly stir in a circular motion, starting from center of bowl and working out to sides. Stir until all chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes. Set aside at room temperature to cool to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sift together almond flour, all-purpose flour, powdered sugar, baking powder, and salt into bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or use a large bowl and hand mixer. Turn mixer on low speed and mix dry ingredients 30 seconds. Add egg whites all at once and mix on medium speed 3 minutes. Add chocolate mixture and vanilla and mix 30 seconds.

Add melted butter all at once. Be sure to scrape in all browned bits from bottom of pan. Mix 30 seconds on medium speed, then turn mixer to high speed and mix 3 minutes more, scraping down sides of bowl well.

Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 15 minutes. Rotate cake for even browning and bake 15 minutes more, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then invert onto rack, remove cake pan and parchment, and cool completely before decorating and serving. Wrapped airtight, financier will keep at room temperature up to 2 days or in freezer up to 2 weeks.

To decorate cake, using a pastry bag and tip, pipe swirls or puffs of Master Ganache around outside edges of cake. Fill center with fresh raspberries; chill until set. Refrigerate any leftover cake.

Yield: 1 cake.

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Using a serrated knife, finely chop chocolate into <0x00BC>-inch pieces. Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Immediately pour boiling cream over chopped chocolate. Tap bowl on counter to settle chocolate into cream, then let stand 1 minute. Using a rubber spatula, slowly stir in a circular motion, starting from center of bowl and working out to sides. Be careful not to add too much air to ganache. Stir until all chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes. It may look done after 1 minute of stirring, but keep going to make sure it's emulsified.

Yield: About 2 cups.

Source: The Secrets of Baking by Sherry Yard