A (, fee-nahn-see-AY) is a small French almond cake, flavoured with beurre noisette and usually baked in a small mold.Thomas Keller et al., Bouchon (NY: Artisan, 2004), 307, available online, accessed August 28, 2012. Light and moist with a crisp, eggshell-like exterior, the traditional also contains egg whites, flour, and powdered sugar. The molds are usually small rectangular loaves similar in size to petits fours.

History The originates from the French region of Lorraine. The Visitandine order of nuns in the 17th century produced a small round almond cake called a (), which is thought to have stemmed from a desire to find a second life for egg whites, whose yolks were used for paintings and illuminated manuscripts. The traditionally was different from the by the use of butter cooked at a low temperature, as opposed to browned butter. It was in the 19th century that , as we know them today, gained prominence in Paris. The change in shape and name is attributed by Pierre Lacam, in , published in 1890, to a pâtissier named Lasne, who worked near the Paris Stock Exchange. Lasne adapted the traditional recipe of the nuns to create a smaller, more practical cake, designed to meet the needs of businessmen who needed a quick, clean snack.

The name is said to derive from the traditional rectangular mold, which resembles a bar of gold when the Swiss reinterpreted the and baked it in this form. Some French bakeries still sell this cake under the name of .

According to another tradition, the cake became popular in the financial district of Paris surrounding the Paris stock exchange, as the cake could easily be stored in the pocket for long periods without being damaged.

See also List of almond dishes

References

Further reading

Gisslen, Wayne. 2008. "Professional Baking", John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, New Jersey. Merceron, Julien. 2014. "A la Mere de Famille: Recipes from the Beloved Parisian Confectioner", Chronicle Books, San Francisco, California. The Chefs of Le Cordon Bleu. 2012. "Pâtisserie and Baking Foundations – Classic Recipes", Delmar Cengage Learning, Boston, Massachusetts. Valette, Murielle. 2013. "Patisserie: A Step-by-step Guide to Baking French Pastries at Home", Constable & Robinson, London, U.K. Wells, Patricia. 1999. "The Food Lover's Guide to Paris", Workman Pub., New York City, New York.