I am very lucky to have a great cook and food writer for a neighbour, Belinda Jeffery – and this ‘one pan’ brownie recipe is an adaptation of one of hers – delicious and easy – with the wonderful crunch and taste of macadamia nuts. (I was recently curious about a dish I read about for pan-fried salmon that required a sorrel sauce made from a ‘beurre blanc with a shallot reduction’ – might as well have been talking hindustani. Ring up Belinda, and within one minute gives me the exact recipe – she’s my kind of gal).
Around these parts the hills are dotted with plantations of ‘lollipop’ trees that give it a very distinctive look to the surrounding countryside and, at this time of year, are in full of very fragrant flowers – which will bear fruit – well nuts – macadamias – in about 8 weeks.
Macadamia nuts are about the only native Australian plant that have become a commercial export crop. They are indigenous to this part of the world, occurring naturally in Australian sub-tropical rain-forests.
Chocolate Macadamia Brownies
- 250g butter
- 250g good quality dark chocolate (I use 70% cocoa)
- 1 1/2 cups castor sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 1/4 cup wholemeal self raising flour (you can use white flour)
- 100 g roasted macadamias, roughly chopped
- Pinch of salt
TOP TIP: For a delicious dessert – simply place a brownie in each bowl, add some stewed or fresh berries and lastly, a dollop of ice-cream/yoghurt or cream.
NOTE: If you are looking for a plant to use as part of an edible screen or hedge you can’t go past the macadamia Macadamia integrifolia. It grows from 2-5 m, evergreen with fragrant flowers in spring and a good crop of edible nuts.
