Dame Elaine Mahon
Ingredients
240g beurre noisette
120g ground almonds
25g icing sugar
100g flour
190g egg white
50g pistachio paste
Morello cherries
Method
Place the ground almonds, sugar and flour in a bowl and mix gently to combine
Fold in the egg whites until it forms a paste
Fold in the pistachio paste
Add the beurre noisette in two to three stages, scraping
down each time to make sure everything is combined
Refrigerate for 30 minutes
Place the mix in a piping bag with a straight nozzle and pipe into silicone molds to about ¾ full. Place a cherry in the centre of each one
Bake @180°C for around 15 minutes – the time will depend on the mold used (the trick is to make sure they don’t take on any colour and remain a nice bright green).
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely
Pistachio Crème Pâtissière
Ingredients
100g milk
10g pistachio paste
20g egg yolks
16g caster sugar
10g cornflour
Method
Add the pistachio paste to the milk and heat until just simmering
Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour together
Pour in a little of the hot milk and whisk to combine
Pour back into the pot and, stirring all the time, cook until it thickens and begins to bubble
Keep cooking and whisking for about a minute while it continues to bubble (this is an important step in
ensuring it thickens properly)
Take off the heat, pour into a bowl, place clingfilm of the surface and allow to cool
To finish
100g pistachio crème pât
1 leaf of gelatine, bloomed
60g cream, whipped to soft peaks
Whisk the crème pât to loosen it up
Take about 20g of the crème, heat it a little and whisk in the bloomed gelatine making sure it has dissolved completely.
Whisk this back into the crème pât
Gently and slowly whisk in one third of the whipped cream. Then, using a spatula, fold in the remaining cream in two
stages. Well done, you’ve just made a Crème Diplomate!
Place in a piping bag with a star nozzle and pipe a generous swirl onto each financier
Enjoy!
Photo Credit: Dame Cathy Sloman