Orange poppy seed financiers and a thing for weird projects

I told you, months ago, that I wasn’t in the mood to watch Nymphomaniac, but days ago I was so bored with the TV programming that I gave the movie a chance, only to be convinced, by the end of it, that Lars Von Trier is really not my cup of tea. There are some strikingly beautiful shots in the film, but I did not like it as a whole. It’s porn – and there’s nothing wrong with that – so I wish people wouldn't try to sell it as art.

The newcomer Stacy Martin got all the action in the first movie, but as for what I’ve read poor Charlotte Gainsbourg is in a pickle in volume II – I must say I find Charlotte a very courageous actress, for after what she went through in Antichrist I could have sworn she would never work with Lars Von Trier again (I certainly wouldn’t). But she did, and more than once.

While Charlotte seems to have a thing for weird projects, my "thing" is a lot simpler and tastier: financiers. They’re a favorite of mine and I make some whenever I have egg whites in my freezer – I’ve been trying to make an angel food cake for months, but financiers win every time. The orange zest gave these wonderful smell and flavor, while the poppy seeds made them pretty and added a bit of crunch.

Orange poppy seed financiers
adapted from the always delicious Simply Bill

85g almond meal (finely ground almonds)
135g icing sugar, sifted
55g all purpose flour, sifted
pinch of salt
1 ½ tablespoons poppy seeds
finely grated zest of 1 very large orange or 2 small ones
5 egg whites
95g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
icing sugar, for dusting

In a large bowl, combine the almond meal, icing sugar, flour, salt, poppy seeds and zest. Stir in the egg whites until just combined. Stir in the melted butter and the vanilla. Cover and refrigerate the batter for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter and flour ten 100ml capacity mini cake or muffin pans.
Pour the batter in the pans. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden - the financiers should spring back when touched. Remove from the oven and leave in the pan for 2 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar to serve.
Financiers are best served the day they’re made, but can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Makes 10