Hazelnut And Buckwheat Financiers With Figs Recipes

HAZELNUT AND BUCKWHEAT FINANCIERS WITH FIGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast hazelnuts on a large rimmed baking sheet until skins are slightly darkened and split, 12-15 minutes. Let cool, then bundle in a kitchen towel and rub vigorously to remove skins (there will definitely be some stubborn pieces that refuse to come off-do what you can). Transfer to a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Whisk hazelnuts, powdered sugar, buckwheat flour, and salt in a medium bowl to combine.
• Cook butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until it foams, then browns (be careful not to let it burn), 5-7 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• Whisk egg whites in a medium bowl until foamy (you're not trying to create volume; you just want to break them up), then whisk into dry ingredients. Whisk in brown butter. Cover and chill batter until firm, at least 2 hours.
• Reheat oven to 350°F. Generously coat six 4-oz. fluted financier molds or a standard 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray. Divide batter among molds (use about 1/3 cup batter per mold, or 2 mounded Tbsp. if using a muffin pan). Top with figs (if using) and sprinkle with demerara sugar. Bake until tops are browned and edges are firm, 20-25 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack and let financiers cool 10 minutes in pans before turning out onto racks. Let cool completely.
• Batter can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

FIG-HAZELNUT FINANCIERS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a small saucepan, melt butter, letting it cook until it turns nut brown and smells toasted, about 5 minutes. Pour into a heatproof bowl and let cool. (Do not scrape up any black bits from the bottom of the pot.)
• In a large bowl, combine sugar, hazelnut flour, all-purpose flour and salt. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and set on low speed (or use a whisk and a strong arm), beat in egg whites until flour mixture is damp. Add butter and beat on medium-high speed (or vigorously by hand) until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla. At this point, the batter can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.
• Trim stems off figs and slice each one crosswise into 3 rounds; you will have 9 fig rounds.
• Butter and flour nine 1/2-cup muffin cups. Divide batter between cups and top each with a slice of fig. Bake until financiers are golden brown and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before unmolding.