William Curley’s Maple Fruit Financiers

Equipment:

• 4.5cm diameter silicone mini muffin moulds

For the financier mix:

• 250g ground almond
• 50g egg whites
• 65g apricot purée
• 50ml pure maple syrup (preferably dark syrup for its robust taste)
• 5 medium whole eggs (250g)
• 125g unsalted butter
• 250g maple sugar

To decorate:

• Fresh or frozen fruits – raspberries, redcurrants, blackberries
• Nuts – almond batons, pistachios, hazelnuts

1. Beat together the ground almonds, maple sugar and egg white to form a paste.
2. Melt the unsalted butter in a pan and cool to 40°C.
3. Mix the apricot purée and the maple syrup together in a separate bowl. 
4. Gradually add the apricot purée and the maple syrup mixture to the original paste.
5. Gradually beat in 250g of eggs, approximately 5 medium eggs.
6. Mix in the melted butter.
7. Rest for at least one hour in the fridge.
8. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Place the silicone mini muffin moulds onto an oven tray and pipe the rested mixture into the mould.
9. Put fruits and nuts on top as desired (blackberries and pistachio nuts / redcurrants and chopped hazelnuts / raspberry and almond batons).
10. Bake for 15 minutes approximately.
11. Allow to cool then remove from the moulds ready to serve.