Brown Butter Pistachio Financiers with Sour Cherry Sorbet

⏱ 150 min · Serves 6

Nutty, chewy-edged pistachio financiers still warm from the oven, served with a shockingly vivid sour cherry sorbet that melts into the crumb. A classic French patisserie pairing: rich brown butter against sharp fruit.

Per serving: 612 kcal · 9.5g protein · 71.0g carbs · 33.0g fat

Ingredients

• Sorbet: 600g frozen sour or dark cherries, pitted
• 150g caster sugar
• 150ml water
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp kirsch or cherry brandy (optional, keeps texture soft)
• Pinch of fine salt
• Financiers: 120g unsalted butter
• 100g shelled unsalted pistachios
• 110g icing sugar
• 40g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 4 egg whites (about 130g), lightly whisked
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• Extra butter and 20g chopped pistachios, for the tins
• To serve: 1 tbsp chopped pistachios, a few fresh cherries

Method

1. Make the sorbet first: heat the sugar and water in a pan until the sugar dissolves, then cool slightly. Blend with the frozen cherries, lemon juice, kirsch and salt until completely smooth.
2. Pass the purée through a fine sieve, pressing hard to extract everything. Chill until very cold, then churn in an ice cream machine until thick. Freeze in a shallow tub for at least 1 hour. No machine? Freeze in a tray, breaking up and re-blitzing twice as it sets.
3. Brown the butter: melt it in a small pan over medium heat and cook, swirling, for 4-6 minutes until it smells nutty and the milk solids at the base are golden brown. Pour into a bowl (solids included) and cool to lukewarm.
4. Blitz the pistachios with the icing sugar to a fine powder. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and pulse to combine.
5. Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan. Butter 6 financier moulds or a 6-hole muffin tin generously and scatter with the chopped pistachios.
6. Whisk the egg whites to a loose foam (no peaks), then fold into the dry mix until smooth. Fold in the brown butter and almond extract in two additions until glossy. Rest the batter 20 minutes if you have time.
7. Divide between the moulds and bake 16-18 minutes, until domed, deep golden at the edges and just springy in the centre. Cool 5 minutes, then turn out.
8. Serve each warm financier with a scoop of cherry sorbet, a scatter of chopped pistachios and a fresh cherry.