Financiers, browned butter almond cakes

Melt the butter over medium heat, then keep stirring and cooking until golden brown with a nutty smell, as the milk solids caramelize; take it off the heat immediately, since they burn quickly.

Pour into a heat proof bowl at once so residual heat in the pan does not take it past golden; set aside 30 minutes to cool.

With regular American butter it foams hard as the water bubbles out; keep stirring and push the foam aside to see the colour.

Preheat the oven to 350. In a large bowl whisk the powdered sugar, almond flour, all-purpose flour and a generous pinch of salt, breaking up any clumps of almond flour.

Separate four eggs and add the whites with the cooled browned butter, including the caramelized milk solids, and the vanilla; whisk into a thick batter.

The batter can be made up to three days ahead and kept sealed in the fridge, as there is no baking powder or soda to activate.

Brush the wells of a mini muffin or financier tin with very soft butter.

Pipe the batter evenly into the wells from a piping bag with the tip snipped off.

Leave plain, top with a few slivers of almond, or press a raspberry into the centre.

Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges are golden and a skewer comes out clean.