I recently got asked to bake some brownies for a job interview.
Shortly after being given such a dreadful task, I realised that I hadn’t actually baked any brownies in a long, long time.
What’s more, I was pretty sure the last time there were any of my brownies kicking about, I was on holiday, and a close friend’s Mum spent half a day in bed after devouring one. The following morning it all became clearer to her, after we explained that the Majorcan bush weed that we’d piled into the brownies may have had something to do with her need to be horizontal for a few hours.
Guess, we’ll never know for sure..
Anyway, I digress. This is my warm macadamia blondie with blueberry sorbet.
Shopping list (serves 6)
Blondie:
Plain flour x 250g
Medium eggs (whisked) x 5
Unsalted butter x 150g
Dark muscovado sugar x 100g
Baking powder x 2 tsp
Vanilla paste x 1 tsp
Good quality white chocolate (broken into small chunks) x 130g
Macadamia nuts (crushed and chopped) x 80g
Pinch of salt
square brownie tray 20cm x 20cm
Blueberry sorbet:
Blueberries x 1kg
Sugar x 200g
Juice of 2 lemons
Macademia nuts to serve
Start by making the sorbet.
Add all the ingredients into a large saucepan, and cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring regularly.
Allow the mixture to cool slightly, before passing through a sieve. Leave this strained liquid to cool completely. When it has, you can pour it into a container and freeze. It’ll need a good 4+ hours to freeze completely.
If you have an ice cream maker, simply pour the cooled liquid into the machine, and churn for 30 minutes or so. Store in your freezer.
Making the blondie is very simple.
Set your oven to 200°C (fan)/220°C. Melt the butter in a saucepan, and add the muscovado sugar. Cook over a medium heat, stirring regularly, until the sugar has dissolved into the butter. Leave this mixture to cool for at least 20 minutes. You can then add the eggs and vanilla paste, and whisk continuously.
At the same time, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add in the chunks of white chocolate, and fold this mixture into the butter/sugar mix. Pour the batter into the brownie tray, and top evenly with the nuts.
Bake in your hot oven for 15 minutes, before removing and allowing to rest for five minutes.
Portion the blondie and serve with a scoop (or quenelle if you’re being fancy) of the blueberry sorbet.
Enjoy!x
Food and Tunes 