Spring is here and much to my delight berry season follows very closely behind.

Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, boysenberries, gooseberries.
Oh how I love them!

Diamonds maybe some girls best friends. But come summer, berries are definitely my best friends!

We have been reducing our gluten and especially white flour more and more recently, but it's impossible not to crave something sweet, something baked, don't you find?

It's still a little early and as yet we only have berry blossoms, so I made these with frozen raspberries, rice flour and pistachio nuts. You could try other ground nut flours, traditional almond or hazelnut flour works beautifully and top with various other fruit, pear slices, mandarin segments or berries. The possibilities are truly endless!

Also, because receiving parcels from friends always makes one feel really rather special, I'd like to give a big shout out to Barbara, who sent me the fun strawberry fabric you see in these pics. Thanks heaps Barb!

• Pistachio and Berry Friands
•  
• 100 grams of icing or confectioners sugar
• 80 grams of shelled pistachio
• 2 tablespoons of plain flour (Gluten- Free, rice or quinoa flour can be substituted)
• 4 egg whites
• 100 grams of butter, melted
• ½ cup of berries, fresh or frozen

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (360°F)
2. Lightly grease or line 10 muffin or friand baking cups.
3. In a small saucepan melt the butter over a low heat and set aside to cool.
4. In a food processor whiz the pistachio until they form fine crumbs, remove 1 tablespoon for sprinkling later.
5. Add the icing sugar and flour and combine well.
6. Turn out into a bowl and mix through the egg whites.
7. Slowly add the cooled butter and mix to form a smooth batter.
8. Divide the batter evenly between your baking cups and top with berries.
9. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
10. Sprinkle the tops with a little of the saved pistachio crumbs.
11. Makes 10