*autumn* not fall

(the ancient amusement park my town- down by the sea)

Whoever invented the college application process must have had a deep, dark and dastardly vendetta against all young scholars. Perhaps he himself was rejected and decided to make it as tedious as possible for others to get in... or maybe (as I am inclined to believe at this point) colleges are just evil and like watching their prospective students writhe in agonizing anticipation... oh dear.

however, it was an absolutely beautiful day today, with those autumn clouds just the perfect shade of puffy and nearly silver in sound. As soon as class ended and I was able to reclaim my car keys from a mischevious friend I took my dog to the park and spent nearly an hour bathed in that thick yellow sort of light that one may only find on October afternoons.

Made this simple french pastry rather late last night, but it turns out to be the perfect thing to nibble on an autumn afternoon- especially with a good cup of hot coffee!

Instructions: must be eaten outside (weather permitting)

must NOT be consumed in a rush

enjoy!

(recipe from Darjeeling Dreams- thanks!)

Raspberry financier

5 tbsp of butter, cut into cubes

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 c finely ground almonds

1/2 c all-purpose flour

1 cup of sugar (caster or confectioner's if you have it, I used caster)

1/4 tsp salt

3 egg whites

1/2 tbsp honey

12 tsp (1/4 c) raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 400 degrees f, and grease a madeleine/muffin pan.

Melt butter in a saucepan, until nut-brown.

As soon as it turned brown, transfer into a bowl. Add vanilla extract.

In a separate, larger bowl, combine ground almonds, flour, sugar, and salt.

Whisk eggs, then honey into flour mixture. Whisk until well incorporated.

Whisk the melted butter-vanilla mixture into the egg-flour mixture.

Pour two tablespoons of batter into each madeleine/muffin mold.

Spoon a teaspoon of raspberry jam on top of each financier.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until just golden-brown on the edges.

Makes 12 financiers.