Financiers are one of my favourite French bakery treats. They’re nutty, buttery, dainty, delicious, and come in so many various shapes and flavours (which gives you a good excuse for testing every new one that comes your way).
Speaking of which, I am excited to be sharing with you today, Mardi Michel’s recipe for raspberry financiers, from her debut cookbook In the French Kitchen with Kids: Easy, Everyday Dishes for the Whole Family to Make and Enjoy. And I am telling you right now, these are some of the best financiers I have ever baked, and enjoyed.
I have been following Mardi’s culinary adventures through her blog for a little while now. If you don’t know her, Mardi is a Toronto-based food writer and a French elementary school teacher, who also runs cooking classes for kids. Her style is genuine and approchable, and it’s likely one of the reason why she’s been so successful at blogging. So much so, she now has released her first cookbook and she’s already receiving amazing praise for it.
I received a copy of Mardi’s book a few weeks ago and it hasn’t left my kitchen counter since then. As a French native, I am so happy to find a cookbook of French classics that feels both so authentic and adjustable to my Canadian kitchen. The tone is fun and recipes are thorough, a perfect mix for making kids and kids-at-heart eager to get cooking.
And beyond teaching kids the important life skill that is cooking, I like to think In the French Kitchen with Kids serves other purposes too…
First, it is an appealing cookbook boasting with beautiful, essential French recipes. I personally know it’s one of my new go-to books, and that I’ll often reach for it whenever I want to make a crowd-pleasing and effortless French staple for my Canadian peers – recipes like madeleines, croissants, a ratatouille or a scrumptious cheesy pasta bake.
But secondly, I see this book as a great effort to debunk some cliches on French cuisine. With kid-tailored recipes and handy tips, Mardi shows us a French cuisine that is approachable and fun – far from what most people think. Too many people still see French cuisine as a sophisticated, intricate art that only professionally skilled chefs can master in their own kitchen. But truth is, French cooking is filled with easy, simple recipes that any homecooks (be it adults or kids) can whip up effortlessly in just a few minutes. This approach is so necessary for people to finally understand the simplicity of French cuisine and give them the empowerment they need to go back to the kitchen and take the time to prepare feel-good meals for the whole family.
Because if kids can do it, we can all do it, right?
So really (and whether you have kids or not), this book is a must-have if you’re curious about French cuisine, but have been too shy to tackle it, or if you’re simply looking for a new set of comforting yet healthy(ish) recipes to add to your repertoire.
In the French Kitchen with Kids: Easy, Everyday Dishes for the Whole Family to Make and Enjoy is in stores today. Find it where books are sold, or online at Indigo and Amazon. Bon appetit, and enjoy these delicious raspberry financiers!
