I love macarons. But I hate them....for their temperamental, finnicky ways. You never know what you're going to get with them.
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<br />But why am I talking macs, when the recipe title says Friands. Well, these are the perfect counterpoint to finnicky macarons. Why? Well because Friands (to Australians; Financiers to the French delicious cakes to the rest of the world) play host to the very same set of ingredients as for the Mac, with none of the angst and fear and as much elegance and tastiness.
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<br />The Financier originated in Paris (as do most good things, I daresay) created in the late nineteenth century by a pastry chef named Lasne, who had a shop on the rue Saint-Denis near the Bourse, the city's stock exchange. Lasne clients were rich, discriminating and always in a hurry, so he designed his little unglazed cookie-cake so that it could be eaten without a knife, fork or spoon and without risk to suit, shirt or tie. It was an early and classy form of fast food, according to Dorie Greenspan.
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<br />But Clotilde of Chocolate and Zucchini says 'some say (financiers were called that) because they included almond powder and butter, pricy ingredients that only bankers could afford and others say it is because in the traditional shape they look like gold ingots, and are hence favored by rich people.
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<br />I, Oz of Kitchen Butterfly adore the caramel, nutty, slightly crisp and slightly chewy top and edges, with the sweet, soft fruit-studded base.
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<br />They are best eaten on the day they're baked, preserving all of the contrasting textures in the top versus bottom. As the batter can keep for up to three days, you can have these freshly baked. Daily.

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