Christmas Friands
Pistachio & Raspberry Christmas Friands
Friand
Small moist oval café cake popular in Australia and New Zealand.
Not related to the French friand which is puff pastry wrapped around sausage meat, what Australians would call a 'sausage roll'.
But rather they seem to originated from the French financier tea cake.
Made mainly of nut-meal, usually almond, though other nuts such as walnut, pistachio & macadamia can be used. Friands often have fruit or chocolate added to them.
So popular in Australia that McDonalds sell them.McDonalds *Gluten free Chocolate & Gluten free Raspberry Friands
Pistachio & Raspberry Christmas Friands
Ingredients
1 cup (140g) *lightly toasted unsalted pistachios (4.95oz)
I cup of raspberries
6 egg whites
185g butter (6.5oz)
1 1/2 cups (240g) sifted icing sugar (confectioners sugar 8.5oz)
1/2 cup (75g) plain flour (all purpose 2.6oz)
I tsp of vanilla
Preheat oven to 180c (356F) Line 12 hole tin with paper cases. I used a friand tin, but you could use a muffin tin.
Method
Process cup of pistachios (less one tablespoon) in a food processor until finely ground. Cut the remaining pistachios into slivers.
Cook butter in a small saucepan until a golden brown colour (it should smell nutty). Set aside to cool.
Place egg whites in a medium bowl, whisk lightly until combined. Add cooled butter, icing sugar, flour, pistachios & vanilla, stir until combined. Stir in raspberries.
Divide mixture between papers in tray. Bake about *20-25 minutes.
Stand in tray 5 minutes before turning out on to a cooling rack to cool.
Dust with icing sugar to serve.
Keep in sealed container up to three days.
Notes*
Lightly toast raw pistachios by stirring them in a dry pan over medium-low heat for a minute or two.
The cakes should be moist; due to differing oven/tins/case sizes just check a few times towards the end of the baking period as to not overbake.
The small amount of flour in friands means they are an ideal "convert to gluten free" recipe, replace flour with gluten free flour of choice.
Reader Comments (1)
These look sensational. I can't wait to try them for myself. What a great Christmas alternative!!