A financier () (formerly known as a visitandine ()) is a small French almond cake, flavoured with
beurre noisette
''Beurre noisette'' (, literally: hazelnut butter, loosely: brown butter) is a type of warm sauce used in French cuisine. It can accompany savoury foods, such as winter vegetables, pasta, fish, omelettes, and chicken.available online accessed August 28, 2012. Light and moist with a crisp, eggshell-like exterior, the traditional financier also contains egg whites, flour, and powdered sugar. The molds are usually small rectangular loaves similar in size to
petits fours
A petit four (plural: petits fours, also known as mignardises) is a small bite-sized confectionery or savory appetizer. The name is French, ''petit four'' (), meaning "small oven".
History and etymology
In 18th and 19th century France, gas ...
order of nuns in the 17th century, the financier was popularized in the 19th century. The name ''financier'' is said to derive from the traditional rectangular mold, which resembles a bar of gold. According to another tradition, the cake became popular in the financial district of Paris surrounding the
Paris stock exchange
Euronext Paris is France's securities market, formerly known as the Paris Bourse, which merged with the Amsterdam, Lisbon, and Brussels exchanges in September 2000 to form Euronext NV. As of 2022, the 795 companies listed had a combined marke ...
, as the cake could easily be stored in the pocket for long periods without being damaged.
References
Further reading
*Gisslen, Wayne. 2008. "Professional Baking", John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, New Jersey.
*Merceron, Julien. 2014. "A la Mere de Famille: Recipes from the Beloved Parisian Confectioner", Chronicle Books, San Francisco, California.
*The Chefs of Le Cordon Bleu. 2012. "Pâtisserie and Baking Foundations - Classic Recipes", Delmar Cengage Learning, Boston, Massachusetts.
*Valette, Murielle. 2013. "Patisserie: A Step-by-step Guide to Baking French Pastries at Home", Constable & Robinson, London, U.K.
*Wells, Patricia. 1999. "The Food Lover's Guide to Paris", Workman Pub., New York City, New York.
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French cakesAlmond desserts