YELLOW NECTARINE FRIANDS WITH YUI MATSUZAKI

The counter shifts with the seasons at Dreamin Man in Paris. When we popped by on a rainy afternoon earlier this summer, Yui Matsuzaki and the team invited us into the kitchen. There, she showed us how to make her friand, a light almond cake made with browned butter, icing sugar, and egg whites. It’s the kind of bake you can adapt to any seasonal fruit, letting the ingredients lead the flavour.

Yui opted for Yellow Nectarines from a family farm near Montauban. Hand-picked at peak ripeness, these nectarines are intensely sweet, with a fragrance that speaks of warm, late-summer days in Occitanie.

Grown in the chalky clay soils of the Midi-Pyrénées, these nectarines are the work of four generations. Marc and his son Vincent now carrying on the family’s commitment to flavour over yield. By thinning their trees, they concentrate the sugars in each fruit, producing nectarines with speckled skins where the sugars have risen to the surface. The valley’s mineral-rich soil, warm days, and cool nights create the perfect temperature contrast for depth of flavour and refined colour.

To let the fruit shine, Yui folds slices into the friand batter. The crumb stays tender, giving way to pockets of softened nectarine. As they bake, the fruit releases its juice, infusing the dessert with natural sweetness and a hint of acidity.

This is seasonal cooking at its simplest: one exceptional ingredient, handled with care and creativity. The Friand is best still warm, when the fruit is at its most aromatic. Though it does travel well. A cake you can take from the café counter straight to a bench by the Seine.

YELLOW NECTARINE FRIANDS

INGREDIENTS

100g butter
130g icing sugar
25g flour
90g almond powder
110g egg white
3 Yellow Nectarines or a seasonal fruit of your choice

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180℃.
2. Melt the butter gently and set it aside to cool slightly.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and whisk together.
4. Add the egg whites to the bowl and whisk until incorproated.
5. Pour in the cooled melted butter and mix until the batter is well combined and smooth.
6. Line a muffin tin with baking paper or parchment liners.
7. Fill each cavity with the batter, then top with the seasonal fruit of your choice.
8. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until golden and cooked through.