Recipe: Little Next Door’s raspberry financiers

At Little Next Door on 3rd Street, the tiny financiers are little works of art, a single raspberry pressed into each one like a garnet.

They’re made with only six ingredients; the trick, of course, is what you do with those six. Egg whites are warmed with sugar in a bain-marie. Butter is cooked until it’s golden and nutty. One raspberry is nestled into the chilled dough just before baking.

Staff writer Amy Scattergood recently came back with a bag of them -- well, a bag with the few that made it back to the office. “These cakes are everything I love about financiers but in miniature,” she says. “They’re dense, deeply almondy yet surprisingly light. And the raspberry is pretty stunning.”

Servings: Makes about 2 1/2 dozen financiers

Note: Adapted from Little Next Door.

4 egg whites

Scant 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

11 tablespoons butter

Scant 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup almond flour

1/2 pint fresh raspberries

1. Combine the egg whites and sugar in a medium bowl. Place the bowl over a similar-sized saucepan to form a bain-marie or double-boiler filled with gently simmering water. Stir the egg whites and sugar with a whisk just until the whites warm slightly and the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and set aside.

2. In a small saucepan, cook the butter over medium heat until it begins to brown and gives off a nutty aroma. Remove from the heat to prevent the butter from overcooking. Set aside, but keep very warm.

3. In a large bowl using a hand mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, begin whisking the egg white mixture at low speed. With the mixer running, gently add the flour, followed by the almond flour, and mix just to combine. Add in the warm butter in a thin stream, mixing at low speed until it is incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and continue to mix 10 seconds more to ensure the batter is completely combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.

4. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray or butter a tray of miniature muffin molds (our molds measured 1 3/4 -inch wide by one-half-inch deep). Fill the molds two-thirds full with batter, and place a fresh raspberry on top of each. Place the tray in the oven and bake 30 to 40 minutes, until golden. Remove and cool on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Each financier: 77 calories; 1 gram protein; 7 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 5 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 11 mg. cholesterol; 8 mg. sodium.