Financiers with a Summer Berry Salad for #SundaySupper

Jun 2, 2013 by lovelypantry

I’m so excited to be joining #SundaySupper again after what seems to be a very long time. I have missed you all, and all the interaction that comes along with blogging! Life has a funny way of forcing you to slow down, so I did the  best thing for me – I slowed all the way down. I’m getting stronger and well enough to get back into the blogging spirit and share some wonderful recipes with you. Today’s recipe is a good one. So simple and light, you’ll love it. The theme for today’s #SundaySupper is Summer Berries and well, lets just say that we haven’t been short on berries around here recently. Whether fresh or frozen, we have berries for either a quick snack or for smoothies. Our host today is Nicole from Daily Dish Recipes!

One  thing that I would love to accomplish this summer, is taking my children berry picking. I don’t have a preference of what berry…I just really want to pick! I am getting excited at the thought of picking strawberries and freezing them for smoothies, or baking with them. I know my kids will absolutely love that experience. I’m also looking forward to my first trip for the season to my local Farmer’s Market! I went the year before last and had a blast! I’ll let you all know when I get to go, because no doubt, I will have my camera with me to capture all the beautiful Ontario produce.

So back to todays recipe, Financiers with a Summer Berry Salad. The salad is so easy to make and such a wonderful way to enjoy your berries.  Financiers are French in origin and are basically mini cakes made with almond flour. They are very light, moist and every time I make them, they always seem to be finished too soon. The berries are the perfect accompaniment to the sweet, almond infused mini-muffins.

 

 

 

I truly adore summer berries. I have such an appreciation for them because growing up in Jamaica, these berries are imported and are quite expensive. I only enjoyed and indulged in these fruits when I travelled to the U.S. for summer holidays. I personally prefer baking with blueberries. I like raspberries as prepared in this recipe. But I will eat strawberries all day long. This season, I will get my heart’s desire!

 

 

I prefer to make my fruit salad in advance and have it chilled so it can be served once the financiers are cool.

 

 

I recommend using silicone mini-muffin cups for this recipe. I tried making it directly in the muffin pan twice, and got poor results each time. The edges were slightly overdone and became rather hard once cooled. I got the best results using the silicone cups.

 

 

These financiers are excellent on their own, but they go so nicely with fruit. We have also had financiers with raspberry jam, and it is just as nice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Find inspiration for summer berries from the #SundaySupper members in the links below. Pin the ones you know for sure are keepers. Share your favourites on Facebook! Lets get into the summer spirit!

I hope you enjoyed today’s recipe. It’s a favourite in my home and I hope you’ll enjoy it too.

 

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Breakfast & Brunch

• Angel Food French Toast with Blueberry Lemon Sauce by Neighborfood
• Blueberry Lemon Baked Doughnuts by Small Wallet, Big Appetite
• Blueberry Rhubarb Baked Oatmeal by Pies and Plots
• Overnight Strawberry Stuffed French Toast by In The Kitchen With KP
• The Best Blueberry Muffin by Supper For a Steal

Sweet & Savory Berry Recipes

• Herbed Pork Tenderloin with Wild Blueberry Sauce by Noshing With The Nolands
• Red, White, and Blue Chicken Salad by MarocMama
• BBQ Strawberry Pizza by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner

Jams, Jelly, Sauces & More

• Blackberry Ketchup by Healthy. Delicious
• Four-Berry Jelly by Blueberries and Blessings
• Mixberry Jam with Merlot by The Urban Mrs
• Roasted Strawberry Tarragon Butter by Gourmet Drizzles
• Strawberry Freezer Jam by Growing Up Gabel

Desserts

• Strawberry Crumb Bars by The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• No-Bake Frozen Berrylicious Cracker Cake by Shockingly Delicious
• Strawberry Cream Cheese Dessert by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Sugar Chips by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Lattice-Top Blueberry Pie by Hip Foodie Mom
• Caramelized White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake by Vintage Kitchen
• Strawberry Shortcakes by Juanita’s Cocina
• Berrylicious Ice Cream by NinjaBaking.com
• Stove Top Berry Crumble by Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Strawberry Yogurt Popsicle by Mama’s Blissful Bites
• Peggy’s Cove Blueberry Grunt by Kudos Kitchen By Renee
• Chocolate-Raspberry Yoghurt Cookies by What Smells So Good?
• Strawberry Ice Cream by Basic N Delicious
• Financiers with a Summer Berry Salad by The Lovely Pantry
• Strawberry Pretzel Salad by Curious Cuisiniere
• Strawberry-Chocolate Frozen Yogurt Parfaits by The Weekend Gourmet
• Summer Berry Salad with a Honey Citrus Dressing by Runner’s Tales
• Strawberry Pop-Tart Ice Cream by Foxes Love Lemons
• Strawberries with Cannoli Cream  by Comfy Cuisine
• Almond Cake with Blackberry Mascarpone Filling by Ruffles & Truffles
• Oregon Strawberry Sundae {Dairyfree} by The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
• Blackberry Pie w/Brandied Whipped Cream by Webicurean
• Vo-Vo’s Famous Strawberry Cheesecake by Family Foodie
• Raspberry Mousse by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Mini Strawberry Cheesecake with Walnut Crust by Soni’s Food
• Salted Caramel Strawberries With a Crunchy Nut Coating by Sue”s Nutrition Buzz
• Strawberry Blueberry Stuffed Monkey Bread by Daily Dish Recipes

Cocktails, Drinks & Smoothies

• Berry Berry Smoothie by Momma’s Meals
• Blueberry Infused Vodka by Big Bear’s Wife
• Blueberry Moscow Mule with Homemade Ginger Beer by I Run For Wine
• Goji Berry Martini by Magnolia Days
• Irish Cobbler by girlichef

Party Planning

• Recipes + Tips to Create A Summer Berry Cocktail Bar by An Appealing Plan

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Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday, April 14th to talk all about movies that have inspired us to head into the kitchen – and the food that comes from that inspiration (7pm EST)!  We’ll tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world.   Follow the#SundaySupper hashtag, and include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more delicious recipes and food photos.

 ** Look what we’re sponsoring! Come join us in sunny Orlando, this July! **

Learn more at www.foodandwineconference.com

 You really DON’T want to miss it!

 

 

 

 

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Almond Banana Espresso Dark Chocolate Chip Muffins

Jun 25, 2012 by lovelypantry

That title was a mouthful. The best mouthful I’ve had in a while. I can’t tell you enough how much I enjoyed these muffins. Thank goodness for Muffin Mondays!

When I saw this recipe, my first thought was…this isn’t the healthiest muffin recipe but I can work with it! I was determined to make this muffin as healthy as possible. Ah well, I’ll experiment some more at a later time but these muffins were terrific. They were beautifully moist with a lovely hint of espresso, and of course a few Dark Chocolate Chips to make it really special. You know Dark Chocolate is good for you, right?

Todays recipe is adapted from the book called Baked: New Frontiers In Baking by Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito. I made a few changes that would hopefully ease my conscience even just a little. I wanted to incorporate almonds so I replaced regular milk with almond milk. I also substituted 1/2 cup all-purpose flour with almond flour (or almond meal). I had a bag of sliced almonds just waiting to be used. I put some in a food processor and pulsated until it was finely ground. I placed a few sliced almonds on the muffin batter just to see what it would be like and it turned out just fine. I knew the kids wouldn’t like them there so they had the ones without the almonds. I only used 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips. Good call – it was just the right amount for me.

 

 

 

 

We started eating these muffins before I took photos. How on earth did I let that happen!? Once you’ve had one of these muffins, I kid you not, you won’t be able to stop…

 

 

I was quite pleased with the almond slices on top. They were perfectly toasted and crunchy.

 

 

Extremely moist and rich in flavour. These muffins are a delightful breakfast or snack!

 

 

We thoroughly enjoyed my adaptation. I will continue to convince myself that I made myself a healthy version of the original recipe.

Muffin Monday is an initiative by Baker Street. A culinary journey of sharing a wickedly delicious muffin recipe every week. Drop in a quick line to join her on her journey to make the world smile and beat glum Monday mornings week after week.

I hope you enjoyed todays post. Have a wonderful week!

~Lyn

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