What is the secret to a perfect brownie (Feast, 18 May)? A good question – and one a Brit can’t answer. As an expat American, I can tell you most British brownies don’t compare to ones across the pond. The good ones are made with 100% pure chocolate, with sugar added as required. They need butter, not oil, especially not rapeseed oil, which changes the flavour completely.
They may have walnuts in them but nothing else. A brownie is not a vehicle for white chocolate, macadamia nuts, fruit or chilli. They should be a bit chewy, with a nice crust, but not cloyingly sweet.
For a recipe, see the American cookery bible The Joy of Cooking. Pure 100% chocolate can be found in a few shops in London – Panzer’s, St John’s Wood; Selfridges; and the American Food Store, west London.
Marcia MacLeod
London
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