As expected of our household go-to recipe though, the finished dough was highly pliable and grew progressively easy to work with. To ensure even thickness, I made use of two 5 mm cookie guides from OOMOMO. Then, it was time to summon all the Christmas cookie cutters of interest.
Suffice to say: there were plenty.
Being heavily based of butter and further enriched with egg yolk, icing sugar decorations need not apply. Instead, decorating the tops with crystal sugar is a quintessential aspect of the procedure, and it pains me to see the gradual elimination and steep increase in price for crystal sprinkles in the modern world.
- They should never been stamped, as it compacts the cookie and causes rigidity to prevail over an airy, gratifying snap
- Crystal sugar is hardly optional, and is cream of tartar. Vanilla extract, however, should excluded since it does not elevate the profile whatsoever.
- Dusting the rolling pin with flour isn't necessary, but maybe a worthy step if working in a moisture-heavy environment (or with frozen butter)
- Generally speaking, room temperature ingredients ensure the greatest success. In any case though, do not freeze butter.
- The original recipe can be scaled up for a bigger batch; our usual household formula involves doubling the recipe from Elegant Desserts.
The vintage butter cookie recipe used 8 egg yolks. Naturally, I'd be left with 8 egg whites for re-purposing. While I brainstormed a number of candidate recipes, the idea of mushy, thawed butter led me in the direction of financiers.
In the absence of lemon, I turned to a recently acquired Japanese orange for an equally aromatic source of citrus. I'd also include a few drops of orange extract and swap the small amount of cake flour for an equal amount of AP flour.
Ingredients:
- 193 g egg white
- 242 g unsalted butter (intended yield 193 g brown butter; did not weigh)
- 145 g granulated sugar
- 39 g honey
- 120 g almond flour
- 39 g AP flour *
- zest of 1 orange
- 1/2 tsp orange extract
Directions
- Combine citrus zest with granulated sugar. Mix well to infuse. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375 F.
- In a medium saucepot, melt butter until brown spots form. Remove from heat once butter has stopped foaming and an amber tone emerges. Let cool to at least room temp. Do not refrigerate, as it must remain in a liquid state.
- Add honey into orange-sugar mixture. Whisk to combine.
- Add egg white and orange extract. Mix well.
- Add almond flour and AP flour. Mix well to combine.
- Pour in cooled brown butter, then mix to reveal a homogenous mixture.
- Transfer to a piping bag for ease of handling. Brush financier pan with melted butter, making sure to blot away any excess.
- Chill the batter for up to 1 hour before baking. This step is optional and I have not noticed any staggering differences in chilled and unchilled batter.
- Bake at 375 F for 12-15 minutes, until a longitudinal crevice forms along the length of the financier and the edges turn crisp and detach easily from the mould.
- Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Ingredients:
- 64 g egg white
- 1/8 tsp cream of tartar * optional
- 128 g granulated sugar
- 77 g water
Directions
- In a heat-safe bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on high speed until frothy. Continue beating at low-medium speed until soft peaks form and the mixture is opaque.
- In a medium-large saucepot, combined sugar and water. Dissolve over medium-high heat to initiate sugar crystallization.
- Once the syrup reaches 118 C, remove from heat. Swiftly and carefully, begin streaming into sugar syrup into the beaten egg whites while continually beating the egg whites. Ensure that sugar syrup has not crystallized on the bottom of the bowl by beating in a circular motion along the perimeter of the bowl.
- Once all sugar syrup has been added, beat on high speed until glossy, stiff peaks perform. The Italian Meringue is ready at this stage.
- Transfer Italian Meringue to a piping bag. Snip the end of the piping bag off a 45-degree angle, then frost in a zig-zag motion across the length of each financier.
- Torch the meringue with a blowtorch.
- Let set at room temperature for 2-3 hours to solidify. Alternatively, the financiers can be placed in the fridge to set quicker. Ideally, the financiers should chill overnight after decorating with meringue. One should allow the financier to return to room temperature before eating.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- For the purpose of financiers, either cake flour and AP flour can be used in its construction. Regardless of the choice, the flour should be sifted along with the ground almonds.
- Do not overmix batter, as it will create large voids and a rough surface, as opposed to the delicate-looking cross-section. Mixing manually is recommended.
- Adding cream of tartar to egg whites helps to create an acidic environment, combatting any fatty residue that may remain in the bowl (ie. after making cookies).
- It is advised for one to familiarize himself/herself with the creation of Italian Meringue before attempting this creation. When done incorrectly, the meringue will weep and cause the underlying layer of financiers to become extremely sodden.
- When consumed fresh, the financiers are crisp on the outside and supple in the inside. The meringue is extremely sweet and loose at this stage.
- When consumed after 24 hours, the financiers will lose their crisp edges and become stiffer, while the Italian meringue boasts a delightful, marshmallow-like texture that is neither cloying nor sticky on the teeth. With this said, it is recommended to wait at least 24 hours to sample.
- Buttering the pan for each batch is not necessary. If using a nonstick pan, as Sunday does, it hardly required as the financiers are easily removed.
A snowy orthotic appointment later, I popped into the nearby Tim Hortons. This suburban location featured the spraypainted window decorations I associated with my younger years.
Being utterly distracted by the items in my surroundings - such as a never-before-seen Pain au Chocolat - I had forgotten to uncheck the "Whipped Topping" option, amongst the other modifications I had requested during my Drive-Thru order. My beverage was delivered with a snowcapped surface, a drizzle of syrup, and at full sweetness. Being unable to sip it as is, I resorted to waiting until returning home.
Horrified I was to find the topping upholding its original presentation, inclusive of all textural features, at least one hour later. Regular whipped cream would have disintegrated within minutes of a warm vehicle, yet this "topping" was so synthetic that not even bursts of hot water could ease it down the drain. The lack of dissolution had me questioning whether it was, in fact, edible at all!
There was an undeniable sense of pride in snatching one of the first few trays of pai bao for the day, for this was one of the bakery's most popular items and known to sell out throughout the day. While Pineapple Buns and BBQ Pork Buns may see regular production during operating hours, the trays would only be introduced to the shelves once per day.
At first glance, the bowls appeared promising. The sausage was glossy, the meat supple, and the yellow radish sweet and crunchy. Even the rice was appealing: defined grains that were simultaneously sturdy and tender. Without a doubt, it was a substantial meal. However, upon closer inspection, the proportion of rice to toppings was found utterly disappointing. Moreover, the meat was simply sodium-laden instead of seasoned. Identical remarks were concluded of the braised pork trotters: While topped with crunchy spring onion and brimming with gelatinous fibers, the dish was excessively salty and devoid of complexity. Overall, both items boasted less value than T&T's singular nine-dollar platter of Braised Pork with Potato (skip the potato though).