新春快樂！！──元寶豐收 (Financier)

新春快樂！！

祝大家在新的一年裡身體健康，心想事成！

今年的春節來得早，希望可以把去年的不順都去掉，帶來牛年的好運吧！

這個financier﹝金融家﹞說來還滿有典故的。傳說，十九世紀末的時候，巴黎的一位鋪子在Saint-Denis街上的糕點師父Lasne創造了這個曲奇。Saint-Denis街位於巴黎股票交易所Bourse附近，周圍出沒的都是口袋裡麥可麥可的銀行家、金融家。Lasne為了這群挑剔的顧客群創造了這款不用餐具、不會弄髒西裝的高級快餐。

最傳統的「金融家」造型是一個小小的長方形的模子，取其型似金磚。但是蛋糊本身可塑性很高，所以市面上也有船型的造型；普通家庭更是可以像我一樣用mini-muffin模子，濫竽充數一下。烤出來了以後，竟然跟中式的元寶還有點像呢。真是契合了春節的氣氛，否則年年吃元寶巧克力，我牙都該甜倒了。

這小小的金融家，吃起來QQ的，還帶點像焦糖一般的香味。所需的材料簡單，不過不便宜就是了。其中需要有杏仁粉──杏仁抹成的粉，不加任何其他添加成分的﹝所以跟我們平時看到超市裡賣的沖來喝的杏仁粉不一樣﹞。在美國，大部分的超市都沒有得賣，我最後還是在有錢人消費的Whole Foods買到的。小小一袋500克，盛惠18美金。﹝果然，跟它的客戶群一樣，都不是好打發的﹞書中作者倒是說可以自己打，不過也提醒讀者：如果自己打的話，很容易一不小心就打成了杏仁糕﹝almond paste﹞，所以最好是用生的杏仁跟糖一起用food processor打，防止杏仁出油。

難怪人家要賣那麼貴：不好生產之餘，還很快就要過期。想想美味的甜點，我還是咬咬牙，給它豪爽了一回。事後發現，不少好吃的法式甜點都用杏仁粉，而且有一就有二，現在這18美金的小袋子倒是時不時就會去拎一包回來。套句老人家的話：由儉入奢易，由奢入儉難啊！

金融家 (Financier)
食譜來源：Paris Sweets by Doris Greenspan

材料：
180 g/6 oz　無鹽牛油﹝unsalted butter﹞
2/3 cup　糖
1 cup 杏仁粉﹝ground blanched almonds﹞
6 顆蛋白﹝大約是6 oz的容量﹞
2/3 cup 萬用麵粉﹝all purpose flour﹞

做法：

1. Put the butter in a small saucepan and bring it to the boil over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally. Allow the butter to bubble away until it turns a deep brown. Pull the pan from the heat and keep it in a warm place.
2. Mix the sugar and almonds together in a large saucepan. Stir in the egg whites, place the pan over low heat, and stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, heat the mixture until it is runny, slightly white, and hot to the touch, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the flour, then gradually mix in the melted butter. Transfer the batter to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, pressing it against the surface of the batter to create an airtight seal, and chill for at least 1 hour. (The batter can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days)
3. Center a rack in the over and preheat the over to 400F (200C). Butter 12 rectangular financier molds, 12 boat-shaped tartlet molds, or three 12-cup mini-muffin pans, dust the interiors with flour, and tap out the excess. If you're using financier or boat molds, place them on a baking sheet for easy transport.
4. Fill each mold almost to the top with batter. Slide the molds in to the oven and bake for 12 to 13 minutes, or until the financiers are golden, crowned, and springy to the touch. If necessary, run a blunt knife between the cookies and the sides of the pans, then turn the cookies out of their molds and allow them to cool to room temperature right side up on cooling racks.

p.s. 食譜太長了，請各位練練閱讀理解吧.....