Raspberry Friands On A Very Grim Day

I was going to give you an ode to summer fruits today, but have just woken to the news that more than 100 people died in the bushfires in Victoria yesterday. Entire towns are now gone: the shops, the pubs, the houses. More than 700 homes destroyed. This morning's paper says that this is Australia's worst ever loss of life outside of war. It is very hard for me to even get my head around it - and even harder to accept that at least some of the fires were deliberately lit. Apart from the constant refrain from all quarters to "hold your loved ones close", there doesn't seem much more to say.



If you are lucky enough to be sitting with your loved ones, enjoying the last of the summer fruits, these friands are a very simple treat. They also freeze well, so box up any leftovers, for days when stunned silence is as much cooking as you can manage. PS The recipe comes from Donna Hay's Modern Classics Book 2 - which is always simple but reliable. Feel free to play around with the fruit according to what needs using in the fruit bowl.



Raspberry Friands
from "Modern Classics 2" by Donna Hay

125g butter
1 cup almond meal
1 2/3 cups icing sugar sifted
3/4 cup plain flour sifted
1/2 tsp baking powder
5 eg whites
1/3 cup fresh or frozen raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, peaches, etc

Heat the oven to 180C. Grease and flour a regular sized friand tin or a muffin tin. Melt the butter over low heat and allow to bubble just until it starts to go slightly gold in colour. Set aside.

Mix almond meal, icing sugar, flour and baking powder in a bowl and stir to combine. Add the egg whites, and stir until just mixed in. Add the melted butter and stir again until just mixed in. Spoon 2 tbls of the mixture into each muffin tin, then sprinkle berries on tp. Bake 15-20 mins or until golden and springy on top.