Passionate about desserts since she was a little girl, Charlotte loves trying new recipes and developing her pastry techniques—much to the delight of Brigitte and Jean, her parents (who are also the founders of Cuisines Steam)!

While we are spending more time at home, we had the idea to share with you 3 quarantine dessert suggestions, including a kid-friendly dessert, a fancy dessert specially created by Charlotte, and our lucky dessert: Thomas Keller's financiers!

Since Charlotte is a film student, she decided to create this recipe video which will no doubt inspire you to cook with your family this weekend!

Recipe

Recipe from the book Bouchon Bakery by Thomas Keller and Sebastien Rouxel.

Ingredients

Butter for the molds, at room temperature
120 g (½ cup + 1 ½ tablespoons) granulated sugar
40 g (¼ cup + 1 tablespoon) all-purpose flour
60 g (½ cup + 2 teaspoons) almond flour/meal
100 g (¼ cup + 2 ½ tablespoons) egg whites
100 g (½ cup) brown butter (see recipe below), still hot
For the brown butter: 453 g (1 pound) unsalted butter

You will also need

12 3 ¼ by 1 ¾ inch financier molds
Pastry bag with a ⅜ inch plain tip (optional)

Instructions

Makes 12 financiers

Preheat the oven to 425 °F (standard). Brush the financier molds with butter and place on a sheet pan. Refrigerate or freeze the molds to harden the butter.
To make the brown butter: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. As soon as it is melted, begin whisking to keep it from separating. Once the butter begins to boil, stop whisking and increase the heat to medium-high. Continue to cook the butter, whisking occasionally to keep the solids that settle on the bottom of the pan from burning, for about 5 minutes. As the moisture evaporates and the butter browns, the bubbles will lessen. Lift some of the butter on a spoon to check the color: when the butter is caramel colored, remove it from the heat. Pour the butter into a container.
Place the sugar in a large bowl and whisk to break up any lumps. Add the all-purpose flour. Sift in the almond flour; break up any lumps remaining in the sieve, add them to the bowl, and whisk to combine.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the egg whites and whisk them, gradually incorporating the dry mixture, until all the ingredients are well combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and whisk again. Whisk in the brown butter in 2 additions. Transfer the batter to the pastry bag, or use a spoon. Pipe or spoon the batter into the financier molds, stopping ⅛ inch from the top (27 grams/1 ½ tablespoons per mold). Tap the bottom of each mold against the work surface to smooth the top of the batter. Arrange the molds on a sheet pan.
Place the pan in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 350 °F, and bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Immediately unmold the financiers and cool on a cooling rack.
The financiers are best the day they are baked, but they can be stored in a covered container for 1 day.