Summer Supper :: Aran's Desserts Part 3, Assorted Petits Fours

Aran served a wonderful array of petit fours at the end of our summer meal.
Our first thought...are these cookies too pretty to eat ? well almost ! The Pistachio Currant is our fave, but really they are all wonderful. We were able to truly taste test Aran's desserts, and the verdict is out - her desserts taste as good as they look. See full recipes below & have a wonderful weekend.

We will continue to post recipes from the summer class next week and a few other fun things we've been working on. I (karen) will be leaving for 2 weeks: Paris for a few days and then to Israel to visit family and work on a few projects...I hope to take lots of photos and notes and share them while I'm away. stay tuned...xo








Photos by Karen Mordechai
Recipe : Courtesy of Aran Goyoaga

Raspberry Financiers
Makes 3 dozen mini financiers
120 grams egg whites
125 grams sugar
55 grams flour
55 grams almond flour, toasted
150 grams brown butter
25 grams raspberries, halved
Place the butter in a small saucepan and cook until it starts to smell nutty and the milk solids caramelize in the bottom of the pan. Strain through a fine sieve and let it cool.
Toast the almond flour in a 325F oven for about 5 minutes until lightly golden. Let it cool.
In a bowl, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, flour, toasted almond flour and finally the brown butter. Let the mixture cool in the fridge for about 4 hours.
Place the batter in a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip and pipe into mini rectangular molds. Top with half a raspberry.
Bake at 350F for about 15 minutes or until lightly golden on top.


Pecan Sandies
280 grams butter, room temperature
110 grams powdered sugar
340 grams flour
85 grams chopped pecans
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
Powdered sugar for rolling.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and powdered sugar. Add the vanilla extract. Add the flour and salt and mix until just incorporated. Add the chopped pecans.
Scoop the dough into a baking sheet lined with parchment or silicon mat using a 1 to 2 inch ice cream scoop.
Bake at 350 until lightly golden, about 12 minutes depending on the size.
Let them cool for a couple of minutes and when they can be handled but are still warm, roll them in powdered sugar until coated.

Pistachio and currant cookies
110 grams butter, room temperature
110 grams brown butter
55 grams sugar
1 egg
225 grams flour
85 grams pistachios, chopped
65 grams dried currants
3g baking soda
4g salt

Cream the butter, brown sugar and sugar together. Add the egg and mix. Scrape the bowl and mix until all ingredients well incorporated.
Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix until ingredients come together. Add pistachios and currants and mix some more.
Roll the dough into a log that is about 2-3 inches in diameter. Wrap in parchment and let it set in refrigerator for about 2 hours.
Cut the log into disks and place them on a baking sheet (leave about 1 inch between the cookies as they spread a little). Bake them at 350F for about 8 minutes.