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Pecan Brownies March 8, 2007 It usually takes a while to come to grips with a different oven when you shift house. However, the latest oven in my life has certainly proved a challenge. It took forever to brown a simple macaroni cheese in our first encounter. The following night it really spat the dummy, cooked for a while, then emitted a high-pitched noise like a smoke alarm and could only be silenced by throwing the switch on the power supply panel. Then it wouldn’t work at all. The fixit man got it working again but then reported it was operating about 80C higher than the dial indicated. I had to play Russian roulette with the errant oven for a month while a new thermostat was obtained. In the end I was doing the “face test”. If I opened the oven door and got a big blast of really hot air in the face, the temperature was approximate 230C and needed a downwards adjustment. I have a lot of respect for my forebears who managed very without the help of thermostats, temperature dials and the like. My great aunt had it down to a fine art and knew exactly how much coal to put in the firebox in order to get a “quick”, “slow” or “medium oven” for biscuits, puddings and roasts. Currently our two sons are in residence. Their appetites certainly haven’t diminished since they left home eight years ago. They still go through the ritual of opening the pantry or fridge in search of snacks. The best they could find was nuts, dried fruit or cheese when what they really wanted was a sugar hit. Being a softy, I took pity on them and decided to make a batch of brownies once the oven was behaving itself again. This is a recipe I used to make when I was sending food parcels to one of the lads when he first went to university. I imagine he and his flatmates scoffed the lot fairly smartly. It’s quick and easy to put together and can be made in one large bowl. You can use a hand-held mixer if you wish. These brownies can be eaten like cake, or warmed briefly in the microwave, dusted with icing sugar and served with ice cream, crème fraiche or thick yoghurt. A few seasonal berries match well.
Pecan Brownies 200g butter or margarine Dice the butter, place it in a large microwave-safe bowl and heat till it begins to melt. Stir in the sugars and sifted cocoa and mix well, then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing till combined. Add the sifted flour and the ground almonds, stirring well, then finally add the vanilla extract and the nuts. Grease a 20cm square cake tin and line with baking paper. Spoon in the mixture and bake at 180C for 30 minutes. Test in the centre with a toothpick and cook a little more if needed. The centre should still be moist but not doughy. Rest in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out on a rack to cool. Makes 16 squares.
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