rubharb friands

I was away in Asia for nearly a month. Despite having had a wonderful time and having eaten fabulous food throughout I really missed my kitchen. Whenever I went to the supermarket to get bits and bobs I always wished that I could buy food items to cook. So when I finally got back home I could not wait to start planning and cooking.

The first few days were spent tidying my kitchen up. This was because I left in a bit of a hurry after a very busy period and could not leave my kitchen as I wanted to find it. A mistake never to be repeated. Once the kitchen was ready again I started playing with new recipes.

I subscribe to the Good Food magazine, and the last issue brought a lovely variation on a friand recipe : rhubarb friand. I just love friands, these lovely and delicate French treats also known as Financiers. Using friands was a lovely twist and it also meant making them seasonal. The tangy taste of the rhubarbs go really well with the sweetness of the friands.

Ingredients:

200g rhubarb

2 tbsp icing sugar

For the friands:

100g butter

140g icing sugar

25g plain flour

85g ground almonds

3 egg whites

Heat the oven to 200C/ fan assisted 180C/gas 6. Cut the rhubarb in 4cm pieces and arrange them in a single layer over a non-stick baking tray. Sift over the icing sugar bake for 12-15 minutes until the rhubarb is tender, then leave to cool.

Melt the butter, use a little to brush the friands/muffin tins, then leave to rest to cool slightly. Sift together the icing sugar and flour, then stir in the ground almonds. Whisk the eggs whites to a gentle foam. Then fold into the dry mix and mix well with a whisk. The butter goes in last. Mix it all.

Half-fill the tins, add pieces of rhubarb to each, then cover with the remaining cake mix. Top with the remaining rhubarb. Bake for 17-20min until golden and firm to the touch. Cool in the tins for 5 mins, then turn out and cool on a wire rack. Dust lightly with icing sugar to serve.