making brownies

Last weekend I made brownies from the recipe in this month's Red magazine. Then I made them again with my amended recipe. It's going out in the newsletter I'm sending out today. After that I will try to put it on the website.

The first batch were too cake-like but the second batch more intense. There's still some more tweaking to get my vision of the perfect brownie (which plenty of people already sell) but these are pretty darn good, nonetheless. Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today I was thankful for the happy music that made me bounce along in the car on the way to work, for the road that took me there smoothly and the sunrise that lit the way after the lights were snuffed out along the journey. I was grateful for the gym at the end of my ride that allowed me to feel good about eating three courses at dinner last night.

Pacific Bar and Grill is such a friendly local restaurant. We stepped into the warmth from the rain and this pub made shiny was almost full with smiling diners. The two waiters looking after the whole floor were attentive though a little scattered! But I haven't had such friendly service in a long time. The food was fresh, simply prepared with good ingredients, and a delicious combination of flavours that didn't try too hard - it didn't need to. Both the tuna and the salmon we had were cooked perfectly and served with bright green leaves (mine Cos, his rocket) and light dressings. The high point was still to come: The Chocolate Brownie, broken up, warmed and topped with ice cream and hot chocolate sauce, it was just divine. Crisp on the edges and chewy and fudge-like when you got towards the middle pieces. A delicious dessert that couldn't seem to decide whether it was cake or cookie or something in between, made in-house apparently. I had to use my fork to fight away the persistent attempts to steal it. At this point the head waiter told us he would bring us something to go with the brownie, and promptly brought us two glasses of frangelico on ice. Now that is the way to bring warmth to the heart of your customers and get them to return.

"that story thing"

This is what my mum refers to Facebook as. (She hasn't used it, yet.) To be fair, she did make this reference during a Skype conference call we had last night, her somewhere in the backend of nowhere in Oz and my brother similarly outplaced in Serbia and me in this soggy London flat.

Facebook. Ah, facebook. The first note on my wall was welcoming me to "the biggest timewaster ever". Hmmm. Its existence has meant I am in touch now with people I haven't heard from in years. While it's nice to be able to hear how people are doing, it's slightly disturbing that they, in return, get to learn all about you. Particularly as with just two clicks you get to this blog. Ironic that I should be concerned about this, why have a blog in the first place then? My cousin recently commented on the irony of when we were at school and girls kept diaries, and god forbid anyone dare read a page, they would face eternal wrath of the bearer; to this: an emptying of thoughts accessible by anyone with a pc and connection to the world wide web.

I was registered with the doctor on Tuesday morning, about time as I have been here five months now. When the nurse took my vitals it was revealed I have lost precisely 1.2kg since my pre-operation appointment a week and a half ago at the hospital. So I have taken it upon myself to chocolate-load, to make sure I don't cause any confusion when I arrive for my operation tomorrow morning. I assume this is, at least in part, due to my forced day and a half of fasting, and purging, on the weekend. Ick. I could never be bulimic. Sunday marked the fifth time I have ever thrown up, since I was about five. Two earlier encounters with food poisoning, a bout of gastro and the aftermath of my one-and-only general anaesthetic, when they put the screws, that they are about to take out, into my knee. Great. Looks like I have another healthy weekend to look forward to! :-)

I'm going to go to Borough Market today and get a Flour Power City brownie. I've got some catching up to do before the weekend!

More chocolate discoveries - Choc Star and Cocoa Loco

After wandering around the flat in something of a daze, speaking simultaneously to my brothers and father via Skype and a mobile on speakerphone (the wonders of technology) I finally showered and decided to head to Clapham to have lunch with the brother that lives in London. After we were fed delicious, wholesome organic food at Breads Etc, we went to the Common to sit. On this day the sun remembered again that it was Spring in London and bathed us in gorgeous warmth that quickly dried any tears and its glow made it easier to be grateful for his life.

Leaving Stephen I decided to do what I love most, and what I knew would distract, if not cheer me, for a while. Earlier in the morning I'd flicked open the paper to read about a food festival in East London. Not sure how I hadn't heard of it earlier. Already being on the Northern line I decided to lose myself in sights and smells and tastes of fresh, local produce.

Fortunately for my bank account my retail therapy is always food, rather than clothes. I spent so long meandering and chatting to stall-holders that most of the stalls had closed by the time I reached the end. Sadly dropped a bottle of oak-smoked olive oil I bought from Casa de 'Oli and its thin neck snapped. Whilst I cried quite a lot on Friday, it was a day I really wasn't going to cry over spilt oil.



I was delighted to encounter the van Choc Star and its fabulous owner, Petra. I had been meaning to get to Brick Lane for months to check out her van, and was so pleased to discover her here. Always fun to talk chocolate with fellow chocolate lovers. Petra treated me to one of her chocolate guiness cupcakes, slathered with addictive cream cheese frosting which really was the icing on this cake (sorry, terrible, terrible puns in this post - I'm sorry. I would say I will stop being cheesy but I realise this just adds to my pathetic prose).

Absolutely spoilt this Friday by also managing to catch Rory from Cocoa Loco, just before he completely packed up. I'm sure I slowed him down but he was very gracious about it and kindly discounted his brownies for me which I have since eaten (and gone to heaven over) and gave me some truffles which he said has suffered a bit in the warmth but they still looked and tasted fantastic to me! I chose the deeply dark brownies, now I know I must also try all their other treats. I thought I might go back again during the weekend but time slipped away from me. Fortunately I had enough chocolate to get me through!

The Cocoa Loco brownie at home later:




Mmm... chocolate truffle from Cocoa Loco

Another chocolate brownie.

Oops. I only meant to taste it. I visited Daylesford Organics this afternoon and bought their chocolate brownie. For research purposes, of course. It is sooo good. I’m getting a favourite brownie list as long as, well, my favourite chocolate list. That’s long.