Rhubard & Lemon Friands

Serves 16

Delicately light and airy, these friands sit somewhere between a macaroon and a little cake. Made with whipped egg whites, nutty browned Ivy’s butter and sharp, bright pops of rhubarb, they’re an elegant bake that’s as beautiful as it is delicious.

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• 200g rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1cm pieces
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 vanilla pod
• 1 unwaxed lemon
• 200g salted Ivy’s butter, plus extra for greasing
• 120g ground almonds
• 200g icing sugar, sifted
• 80g plain white flour, plus 1 tbsp for lining the tins
• 200g egg whites (about 5)

1. Heat the oven to 190°C. Butter and flour the cavities of a 12 hole muffin tin, and 4 holes of a second if you have it.
2. In a bowl, stir the rhubarb together with the sugar, vanilla and lemon zest. Set aside while you prepare the rest.
3. Tip the butter into a saucepan and cook over a low heat for 6-8 minutes, until the butter foams, turns brown and begins to smell like toasted hazelnuts. Allow to cool to room temperature.
4. In a mixing bowl, combine the ground almonds, icing sugar and flour together with a whisk until no lumps are visible
5. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites together until very foamy, just shy of forming soft peaks. Add the beaten egg whites to the dry mixture and fold together with a spatula until no dry patches are visible. Fold through the cooled brown butter and the juice of½ a lemon.
6. Divide the batter between the muffin holes, stopping 1.5cm from the top and top with 5-6 pieces each of rhubarb.
7. Bake for 18 – 20 minutes, until the friands are puffed up and golden. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before gently lifting out with a spatula. Allow them to cool on a cooling rack. If you only have one muffin tin, butter and flour 4 holes and fill with the remaining batter.
8. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Any leftover rhubarb can be gently stewed and served with ice cream, yoghurt or porridge.