Cranberry Pear Hazelnut Financier Recipes

PEAR FINANCIERS

Steps:

• Make the browned butter: Melt 1 stick butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until it begins to bubble. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, swirling the pan, until the butter turns golden and smells nutty, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• Whisk both flours, 1/2 cup brown sugar and the salt in a medium bowl. Beat the egg whites in a large bowl with a mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form; stir in the vanilla. Fold in the browned butter and the dry ingredients, then cover the batter with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Butter a 12-cup muffin pan. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and combine in a large bowl with the pears and remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar; toss. Divide the batter among the muffin cups; top each with 3 pear slices. Bake until puffed and golden, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes in the pan, then remove to a rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

HOLIDAY CRANBERRY-HAZELNUT TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Arrange tart shells on the prepared cookie sheets.
• Chop hazelnuts and cranberries into small pieces by hand or in a food processor.
• Melt butter in a heat-proof bowl set in a pan of water heated to just below simmering. Remove the bowl from the heat, add brown sugar, salt, and cloves, and stir until sugar is absorbed. Beat in eggs. Stir in corn syrup, molasses, and vanilla extract.
• Return bowl to the heat and stir constantly until mixture measures 130 degrees F (54 degrees C). Immediately remove from the heat and stir in hazelnuts and cranberries. Use a tablespoon to scoop the warm mixture into tart shells.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden and set, about 25 minutes.

PEAR CRANBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the pears, water, ginger and cinnamon. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Stir in cranberries and sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes or until the cranberries have popped and sauce is slightly thickened, stirring several items. , Discard cinnamon sticks. Mash sauce if desired. Cool. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

CRANBERRY PEAR HAZELNUT FINANCIER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. and butter and flour a 9- by 2-inch round cake pan.
• Spread hazelnuts in a shallow baking pan and toast in oven until they begin to turn pale golden, 7 to 10 minutes. Cool hazelnuts completely. Discard any hazelnut skins that rub off easily. Increase oven temperature to 400°F.
• Peel and core pear. Chop pear coarse and in a bowl toss with cranberries and 1/4 cup sugar.
• In a food processor grind nuts with remaining 3/4 cup sugar, flour, and salt until fine.
• In a bowl with an electric mixer beat whites with a pinch salt until they just hold stiff peaks and fold in nut mixture gently but thoroughly. Fold in butter and vanilla (the batter will deflate) and spread batter evenly in cake pan. Arrange fruit mixture evenly over batter and bake in middle of oven 40 to 45 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.
• Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes and invert onto a plate. Cool cake, fruit side up, on rack until ready to serve.
• Sprinkle cake with confectioners' sugar and serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream.