From 2015 money resolutions to dessert with financier, il n'y a qu'un pas...

Bake finance with  this recipe from Farm, Fork, Food, A Year of Spectacular Recipes Inspired by Black Cat Farm (Kyle Books, October 2014) by Eric Skokan of Black Cat, a Boulder (Colorado) farm to table bistro.

Pistachio financier with pear & chocolate

Financier is the most regal of cakes, made with nut flours and lots of butter. As if it needed more, I’ve paired it here with poached pears and freshly grated bitter chocolate.
The combination is stunning. Financier is best eaten fresh, still warm from the oven. Try freezing the leftovers, if you like (there rarely are any, though.)

Serves 8

3 cups raw pistachios
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ pound unsalted butter, softened
4 large eggs
2 cups white wine
2 pieces star anise
1 cinnamon stick
2 cardamom pods
4 pears, peeled
1 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate or chocolate chips
pinch of ground nutmeg
pinch of ground cardamom
pinch of ground cinnamon
1 cup heavy cream
unsweetened chocolate, finely grated

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a cake pan.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the pistachios, flour and 1½ cups of the sugar and the salt. Process until very smooth.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip the butter until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Stop the mixer and add the pistachio mix. Mix on low speed until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until fully combined between each. Stop and scrape down the bowl if needed. The batter should be light and fluffy.

Transfer to the prepared cake pan and bake until set, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.

In a medium stainless-steel saucepan over medium heat, combine the wine, spices, the remaining ½ cup sugar and the pears. Cook until the pears are just tender, about 10 minutes.

Let the pears cool in the poaching liquid.

In a small saucepan over very low heat, combine the chocolate, the ground spices and half of the cream. Warm, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is fully melted, about 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, beat the remaining cream with a whisk to stiff peaks.

Add the whipped cream to the cooled chocolate and stir well. Slice the cake with a sharp knife. Divide among eight dessert plates and top each slice with a dollop of the chocolate sauce. Slice the pears in half and divide the pieces among the plates.

Sprinkle the grated chocolate on top of the pears and serve immediately.

(Recipe reproduced with permission from Farm, Fork, Food, A Year of Spectacular Recipes Inspired by Black Cat Farm -Kyle Books, October 2014- by Eric Skokan, Photography: Con Poulos)