Rhubarb Almond Friands (or Financiers)

I had pinned this recipe for Rhubarb and Vanilla Friands (or Financiers) from Eat, Little Bird, a long while back. My big rhubarb plant has bright green stems that are delicious, but not particularly attractive for showing off as a decorative topping. I planted a small red-stemmed rhubarb last year and was delighted that it came up and was doing well. You aren't supposed to pull any stems the first year, but they were so tiny and rosy...I thought it couldn't hurt to take just a few. Just enough for this particular recipe.

I had told myself I would eat macaroons, friands/financiers, and madeline's while in Paris, so that I would know what they should actually taste like when I made them. You know me, Dear Reader, I didn't take my own advice. Instead, I was lead astray by the eye-popping wonders that filled every patisserie window. Yes, I was a pastry hussy, going for the glamorous and eye catching, while not even casting a glance at the more humble items I had sworn to try! But, I console myself now with the fact that I have a lovely macaroon recipe, and the most delicious of madeline receipts. And now, I have a keeper of a Friand!

I would call this Rhubarb and Almond Friands, because the nut meal is the secret star of the show. The browned butter is also a wonderful element, but it only adds to the nutty flavor of the whole. The end result was an amazing almond taste and texture without a heaviness. They come together so quickly, and with so few ingredients, that the only wait is for them to come out of the oven, smelling glorious.

The little strips of tart rhubarb are a perfect compliment to the cakes, but I would like some in each bite, not just the center. When I have scads of red rhubarb (fingers crossed) I will cover the tops in a little lattice of deliciousness. But even the cakes that had no rhubarb were great. In my first few bites I was thinking how very plain they were, how lacking in sweetness. By the time I had savored a whole one, I realized that it was the subtlety of the nut meal that made them truly special; they didn't need added sweetness. In fact, I hadn't even started on my third one when I realized that I would be making this recipe again.

This little cake/bread is just as good the next day. And let me say that it is the perfect thing for breakfast with a cup of coffee with cream. I had it three days in a row. Seriously, this something you can't wander through the house eating while thinking about all the things you have to do that day. It is a sit-down-and-savor kind of simple little loaf that elevates the morning to something special enough to stop all other tasks. (Yes, it's whipped cream in my mug. I like enough for a really good mustache ;)

And if something this basic, but so delicious in its simplicity, can make you want to stop and enjoy a moment fully...well, who knows? Maybe it can even remind you to pause and enjoy other tiny pleasures throughout your day. Here's hopin' ;)

Hey, Sugar! If you love rhubarb, you might enjoy these also: 
Rhubarb Water 
Strawberry- Rhubarb Compote and Fool