A Mad Tea Party

It’s time for a tea party! The 7th Annual Mad Tea Party, to be precise…hosted by A Fanciful Twist. I am just one of many lucky guests. Stay as long as you wish – I hope you feel welcome and enjoy your time with me. And as always, I have left a recipe for you at the end.

Beneath the trees of my little garden, amongst the flowering summer blossoms, there was a tea party set for two.

The kitchen had been whipped into a frenzy, leaving the aroma of oranges and caramelized sugar to float by on the warm breeze.

But with a little bit of fairy dust everything was finished just in time.

A pretty fox came to tea and a happy bunny joined her.

And plenty of delicious treats made the table overflow…There were cinnamon orange tartlettes, topped with sticky sweet pieces of freshly candied oranges.

Straight-from-the-oven scones, made with love and given a generous helping of cream and jewel-toned jam.

But best of all were the buttery financiers…fragrant, nutty, and topped with summer peaches.

And, of course, a few paper cranes folded up with a dream and a wish.

There was plenty of lemonade to go around, cold and bubbly and sweet…we never did find out what was in the teapot…

But we filled the day with laughter and nibbles and stories galore. In the end, it was wishes of bon voyage, as Little Miss Fox scampered off to catch her plane to France.

Financiers are French teacakes, so named because they resemble gold bars and had been popular in Paris’ financial district…or so tradition (aka Wikipedia) tells me. Although originally made with almonds, I chose to make them with walnuts because the first time I made them—on a summer afternoon last year with the aforementioned Miss Fox—there were no almonds in my pantry.

Peach and Walnut Financiers (Yield: 3 3x5” mini loaves)

9 tbsp. butter, cut into 1” pieces

3/4 c. walnuts

1/4 c. flour

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

3 egg whites, whisked lightly

1 tsp. vanilla

1 medium-sized peach, sliced

1. Preheat the oven to 400º F.
2. Melt one tablespoon of butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Using a pastry brush, spread an even coating of the melted butter into three mini loaf tins. Place the pans in the freezer until your batter is ready.
3. Place the remaining butter in a small sauce pan and melt over medium-high heat, allowing the butter to melt and then brown until it smells aromatic and the solids become golden brown. Take the pan off the heat and allow it to cool slightly.
4. While the butter cools down, place the walnuts, flour, sugar, and salt into a food processor and let it run until the ingredients become a fine, uniform meal. Pour the food processor’s contents into a large bowl.
5. Whisk the egg whites and vanilla into the nut mixture, then pour in the butter, making sure to scrape in all the browned bits at the bottom of the pot. Whisk the batter until it just comes together.
6. Take the prepared loaf tins from the freezer and divide the batter evenly amongst them.
7. Slice the peach into 1/4” wedges. Fan several slices, forming a layered row of peaches, over the top of each financier.
8. Place the loaf tins in the oven and bake the financiers for 10 minutes.
9. Keeping the oven door closed, turn the oven off and leave the cakes for five more minutes, or until the financiers are a dark golden brown and the edges are firm to the touch.
10. Remove the financiers from the oven and allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Dust them with a little bit of powder sugar before serving.