Monty Don gardener extraordinaire and his wife Sarah have written another of the cook books which is on the Winsome Hall short list of the only cook books you will ever need. This is The Home Cook Book. There are few cook books where everything works and tastes fabulous Annabel Langbein’s books are on this list as is this one by Monty and Sarah Don.

I never liked brownies until I tasted these. They were either too rich or too sweet. These are both but crikey are they good.

As with all cooking only use the best, in this case chocolate, ingredients you can find.

Ingredients

• 150g hazelnuts or walnuts
• 250g dark chocolate, 70% solids
• 250g unsalted butter
• 6 eggs – we use duck eggs
• 375g caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 150g sifted plain flour

Method

• Preheat oven to 180 degC and toast the nuts care that they don’t burn. once toasted wrap in a tea towel and rub the skins off and chop
• Butter a 20cmx20cmx4cm tin and line the bottom and sides with backing paper
• Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over just simmering water stirring until smooth then cool a little
• in a bowl beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy
• Stir in the butter and chocolate
• Gently fold in the flour
• Spread nuts on the bottom of the tin and cover with the chocolate mixture
• Bake for 20 to 25min until just cooked in the middle ie. a skewer comes away nearly clean
• Cool in the tin on a rack then cut into squares
• A dollop of good cream to serve – very important

Put on an old movie – something with Cary Grant, curl up on the couch and share with the one you love.

Cheers

Franky