Blueberry season carries over from summer into early autumn, allowing us to crib a few extra weeks of summer’s berry fruits.
Friands – mini cakes made from almond meal, egg whites and fruit – are a delightful alternative to muffins. These French petits gâteaux are best made with unsalted butter. In order to simplify the recipe, I’ve turned the individual friands into a slice – no need for special moulds. This can be served as a dessert or an afternoon treat. To make the friand slice gluten free, replace the wheat flour with a gluten-free flour blend.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Makes: 20 pieces
Ingredients:
- ½ cup flour
- 1 ½ cups icing sugar, plus extra to serve
- 1 cup ground almonds
- 6 egg whites, room temperature
- 175g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence or extract
- Grated rind of 1 large lemon
- 1 ½ cups fresh blueberries, sightly crushed
- Mascarpone or sweetened whipped cream to serve
Method:
Preheat the oven to 190°C and set the oven rack in the centre. Grease and line a 20cm x 30cm slice tin with baking paper.
Sift the flour and icing sugar into a bowl. Stir in the ground almonds and make a well in the centre.
Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl until they begin to foam. Pour into the well, along with the butter, vanilla essence or extract and lemon rind and stir together gently until just combined. Gently fold in the crushed blueberries. Spread the mixture into the prepared slice tin.
Bake for 20–25 minutes until the friand slice is firm to the touch and has shrunk away from the sides. Cool in the tin for 2–3 minutes before turning out onto a cake rack to finish cooling.
Serve warm dusted with icing sugar, accompanied with mascarpone or sweetened whipped cream.
Blueberries with Lavender
Crush half a punnet of blueberries with a potato masher. Mix in 1 tablespoon sugar and add 2–3 lavender heads and mash to release the oil from the lavender. It is best to use English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) as it has a softer, sweeter note. Stir in the remaining half punnet of berries and cover. Set aside for an hour at room temperature for the flavours to infuse. Delicious served with the slice.
WIN WITH VERVE
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Edited recipe extract from GIVE: Seasonal Recipes for Gifting, by Allyson Gofton, published by Bateman Books.
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