Blood Orange Friands
An Original Recipe by Not Quite Nigella
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 20 minutes
- 100g/3.5ozs. butter melted
- 1 cup icing sugar, sifted
- 3/4 cup almond meal
- 3/4 cup desiccated coconut
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3-4 blood oranges
- 4 egg whites (use the yolks to make a curd)
- 1/2 cup of icing sugar for icing
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 180C/350F and spray a friand tray with non stick oil coating. These are light and delicate so line the bases with an small square or round of parchment paper.
Step 2 - Place the melted butter, icing sugar, almond meal, coconut and baking powder in a large bowl. Finely grate in the zest of two of the blood oranges and juice one of the oranges (I juice the orange in a separate bowl in case there are pips) and add the juice into the mix. In the bowl of a very clean electric mixer, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add a third of the egg white into the wet mix and fold. Then add the rest of the mixtures in two batches until combined.
Using two tablespoons, spoon the batter into the prepared tray filling the cavities 2/3 of the way up. Bake for 20 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the tin for 20 minutes before removing from the tin.
**Step 3 - ** Sift the extra 1/2 cup of icing sugar into a bowl and add some blood orange juice to form an icing. You don't need much juice to make the icing, just a tablespoon or so and add a little water if it doesn't come together. Drizzle the pink icing over the upturned friands. Slice the remaining blood orange and place half moons on top.