Freshly-baked friands first appeared at the Staff Café just over a year ago as a trial promotion, but their popularity has seen Chef Manager Housien Koussan add them as a permanent fixture on the menu.
Housien believes cooking is about sharing.
“Too many chefs guard their culinary knowledge as a secret,” says Housien. “I think if you have the knowledge, you should share it; especially with those who are interested.”
So in this spirit (and in case just one of his baked treats isn’t enough for you), here is Housien’s popular friand recipe to try at home…
Staff Café’s freshly-baked Friands
Ingredients
Serves 24 in a mini muffin tray or 15 in an oval friand tray
390g icing sugar
150g plain flour
310g almond meal
6 eggs
360g unsalted butter (softened)
150g fresh blueberries (or your favourite berries)
30g slivered almonds
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush mini muffin or friand tray with melted butter to grease, then dust it with plain flour.
Combine the sugar, flour and almond meal in a bowl. Make a well in the center and add the egg and butter. Stir until well combined.
Divide the mixture among the prepared pans. Divide the berries among the centers. Sprinkle the almonds on the top.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until light golden. To ensure your friands are cooked correctly place a skewer through the centre of one friand. Hold this in for a few sections before removing it. If the skewer comes out clean, it is cooked perfectly.
Set aside in the pans for five minutes to cool slightly before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
Dust the friands with icing sugar to serve.