A financier () (formerly known as a visitandine ()) is a small French almond cake, flavoured with
beurre noisette
''Beurre noisette'' (, literally: hazelnut butter, loosely: brown butter) is a type of warm sauce used in French cuisine. It can accompany savoury foods, such as winter vegetables, pasta, fish, omelettes, and chicken.available online accessed August 28, 2012. Light and moist with a crisp, eggshell-like exterior, the traditional financier also contains egg whites, flour, and powdered sugar. The molds are usually small rectangular loaves similar in size to petits fours.
History
The financier originates from the French region of
Lorraine
Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...
. Originally made by the Visitandine order of nuns in the 17th century, the financier was popularized in the 19th century.
The name ''financier'' is said to derive from the traditional rectangular mold, which resembles a bar of gold when the
Swiss
Swiss most commonly refers to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Swiss may also refer to: Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
* Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
* Swiss Café, an old café located ...
reinterpreted the ''financier'' and baked it in this form. Some French bakeries still sell this cake under the name of "visitandine".
According to another tradition, the cake became popular in the financial district of Paris surrounding the
Paris stock exchange
Euronext Paris, formerly known as the Paris Bourse (), is a regulated securities trading venue in France. It is Europe's second largest stock exchange by market capitalization, behind the London Stock Exchange, as of December 2023. As of 2022, th ...
, as the cake could easily be stored in the pocket for long periods without being damaged.
See also
*
List of almond dishes
This is a list of almond foods and dishes, which use almond as a primary ingredient. The almond is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. "Almond" is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within ...
References
Further reading
* Gisslen, Wayne. 2008. "Professional Baking", John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, New Jersey.
* Merceron, Julien. 2014. "A la Mere de Famille: Recipes from the Beloved Parisian Confectioner", Chronicle Books, San Francisco, California.
* The Chefs of Le Cordon Bleu. 2012. "Pâtisserie and Baking Foundations – Classic Recipes", Delmar Cengage Learning, Boston, Massachusetts.
* Valette, Murielle. 2013. "Patisserie: A Step-by-step Guide to Baking French Pastries at Home", Constable & Robinson, London, U.K.
* Wells, Patricia. 1999. "The Food Lover's Guide to Paris", Workman Pub., New York City, New York.
{{Nut confections
Almond dessertsFrench cakes