Well, it looks like summer’s done and dusted for the year, doesn’t it? (Yes, I’m fulfilling my British duty: refer incessantly to the bleakness of the weather from now until March… make that April next year).
How autumn are you feeling? Scarf? Blankets on the sofa? Soup? Apple crumble and custard? Is the heating on? Do you require an intravenous supply of hot drinks?
My hot water bottle is back in action (as of Tuesday evening), and I’m about to commit to the: fleece/duvet-like coat/thermal socks combo, which will be my uniform for the foreseeable future.
I simply CANNOT face another wet, grey, winter. It’s a problem.
… to temper my gloom, I’ve aimlessly researched various ‘moving abroad’ questions an absurd number of times this week. It won’t happen of course because I’m very risk averse and this seems like a big risk, but researching it… well, that’s another matter - it’s a sort of thrilling pastime I find. A bit like trawling Rightmove for properties you can’t afford, knowing full well that even if you could afford them, the change and upheaval would probably be too much to comprehend so you’d stay put and moan instead… which we all know I excel at.
… so, I might as well notify you of my other moan. I saw Waitrose release their Christmas preview on social media last week. You all know I’m a die-hard Waitrose fan, but surely we can’t be preparing for Christmas ALREADY? I sort of understand the theory… mentally prepare for what’s to come (winter) with all the distractions we can lay our hands on… and start as early as possible - damage limitation and all that. But… this early? I’m not convinced. I won’t be getting the sprouts on just yet.
Even Jamie (Oliver) seemed to be clinging onto the dregs of summer in his show on Monday evening with sweetcorn burgers and a tomato galette. He also made a mean looking not-quite-so-summer-y pasta dish with bacon and cheese and cabbage and more cheese… I have every intention of stealing this idea!
I wish I had more fun news to tell you… I just don’t. I’m really trying to find some, I promise. It’s just been such a wet wipe of a week: beige! I’d like to say that beige is an upgrade on ‘white-wash grey’, but I’m not sure. Grey-ness has more energy to it I think… beige is a different level of gloom, no anger, no sadness, just a sort of inertia, even being down feels like hard work.
And to make matters worse - dramatic drum roll please - I made some mini coffee cakes on Wednesday that I thought were going to be epic and they just weren’t… texture: good, flavour: what coffee? Post coffee high, nope. Annoying! I topped them with some maple, coffee cream anyway because I simply cannot bear waste, this dramatically improved matters, but the cakes need work… which I will do, do not worry!
Remember last week I said I’d be bringing brownies though?… Well friends, they are here…
…and I don’t think any bake hugs you tighter than a fudgy, rich, chocolate brownie, am I right? Honestly, you have so much to be excited about with this one. One (ish) bowl and a balloon whisk, maybe a sieve too, then it’s simply an olive oil, cocoa powder combo plus all the usual players: sugar, eggs, flour, etc, oh and choc chips because we all love a chocolate-y puddle in our brownies don’t we? As Mary Berry would say, ‘they’re a bit of all right’… keep scrolling for more goodness.
Before I head off… here’s my ‘quite nice things I’ve come across this week’ list (catchy name):
Vaseline’s latest ‘limited edition’ lip balm - have you ever seen a more beautiful tin? (see below). It also smells fantastic… I didn’t buy it because frankly I have an obscene number of Vaseline tins that are all half used, but it get’s a 10/10 for cuteness.
Sweet honey & bitter lemon - Letitia Clarke recommended this book by Matthew Fort on her Instagram earlier this week, I’ve added it to my reading list… it can’t get much better than a book about Italy and food, can it?
Tea chat - Asda’s everyday teabags topped taste tests in consumer group Which? this month. I need to put this to the test myself… anyone buy Asda tea?
An antidote to feeling sad… paint your fingernails in all the colours (the decision to commit to one colour is simply too much).
… also, when you feel sad, I really recommend snackable ‘baking’ - the type that helps pass the time in a mindful, delicious, way. You know - the bakes you can snack on while you prepare them? Granola falls into this camp, and so do these savoury seedy shards (see below) - apart from being super yum and majorly addictive, they happen to be pretty nutritious which is an added bonus. Actually, do you want the recipe?
OMG, I just remembered Mr Kipling Angel slices and I’ve spent the last 30 minutes down a nostalgic, Google-search rabbit hole. Anyone remember that these were also my first technical challenge on Bake Off? I think I need another go at them!
I opened a new Cornflake packet this week - each flake is a SLAB (so big) - madness that I’m very into. Anyone notice how inconsistent cereal can be from one packet to another? As a rule, I like mine well done and bigger than they should be - in case you’re wondering.
I know I say this a lot, but I’ve been so touched (again) by the truly delightful messages I have received from you lovely lot this week. I hope you don’t just think I’m saying this for effect; it has genuinely been such a joy to hear your stories, and, it goes without saying that your words of support and kindness mean SO much. I just feel so lucky to have you all - you’re incredible humans. (massive apologies if I haven’t managed to get back to you, I’m sending massive virtual hugs of thanks!!).
OK, that’s another week in a nutshell…
I hope this week has been good to you and I’m already looking forward to catching up with you again next week!
Take care and as ever, I’m sending so much love,
Steph X X X
Cocoa, olive oil brownie
Prior to attempting this recipe, I thought that, despite the overwhelming number of brownie recipes in the World, there were some specific laws when it came to the DNA of a decent brownie.
My understanding was that butter trumped any other fat, good quality dark chocolate melted into the batter was essential – just cocoa powder was a sure-fire way to achieve an insipid brownie - and a hefty injection of sugar was non-negotiable.
That was until a few weeks ago when I stumbled across a couple of brownie recipes that called for Extra virgin olive oil… and (shocker), JUST cocoa powder (albeit with the addition of some chocolate chips stirred through the batter), the sugar was still fairly high, but it was tempered with a hefty pinch of salt.
Now, I don’t assume that everything I see on the t’interweb is as good as it’s purported to be, but I trusted the sources I was reading from and so I felt obliged to put this new information to the test. IF it worked, it also really satisfied my recent affinity for simplicity and comfort… and reassuringly fit the ‘simple series’ model that I half-heartedly created the other week so there was a potential double win if it turned out well.
SO… I put a small portion of a slightly cobbled together recipe to the test the other day, and apart from being a touch over-baked confirmed that it was eye-poppingly good. You know when you stand and stare at something and think, how are you this good when you don’t follow THE RULES*? Followed by, why have I been sold such a lie about brownies all along? Honestly, this fella blew my mind, dense, fudgy, chocolate-rich, a perfect balance of sweet and salty… it was everything and more AND so simple; I’m talking one bowl, one hand-held ballon whisk, just a bit of mixy, mixy and done. LITERAL magic!
(*You presumably don’t have a clue what I’m on about, because who stands and stares at their food wondering why it’s better than they expected – no one Steph!!!)
I’ve subsequently tinkered with the recipe a little… there’s a touch more egg than some recipes call for and a sprinkling of baking powder that doesn’t provide lift as such, it just gives it a teeny bit of moussy-lightness without compromising the fudge-factor.
A couple of notes –
Dependent on the brown sugar you go for, it can be helpful to grind/blend it in a food processor or even a spice grinder to make it less coarse – this helps it dissolve into the batter a bit more readily… I did this with Demerara sugar but it’s not essential if you use something like soft light brown sugar.
I used Fillipo Berio Extra virgin olive oil, which is a basic olive oil I think. It goes without saying that the more potent the flavour of your oil, the more pronounced the overall flavour of your brownie, but honestly, I think that any additional flavour will simply enhance things here so don’t sweat that too much!
I use THIS cocoa powder which you can buy from Waitrose or Sainbury’s. It’s a decent quality, Dutch processed variety - I do really recommend you source something of a reasonable quality here. Given that this is a primary source of chocolatey goodness, you don’t want to skimp too much on it.
Then the bake – ok so, to a certain extent, this is personal – I give them around 30 minutes at 140 fan, I then cool them in the tin, refrigerate them overnight, and chop them up the following morning. This yields a brownie at the softest end of the spectrum - even after chilling. It’s super squidgy and LUSH, however, IF your oven runs a little cooler or you think your brownie doesn’t look quite ready after 30 minutes, give it another 3-5 minutes – up to 10 mins more if you prefer a much cakier affair. Just bear in mind that brownies should come out of the oven relatively ‘underbaked’ – and they firm up significantly as they cool. Also, the flavour is quite significantly enhanced after a considerable rest/chill out time… science innit?
Right, you’re ready to rock, go make them NOW!
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