Recently, the realisation came to me that I couldn't remember the last time I had made a recipe without fundamentally changing something about it. This definitely isn't a bad thing; Hell, I'm looking forward to the day that someone sends me a comment that goes "I tried this recipe, I changed this, that and so forth, and it was great!" That's how we grow and move outside of our comfort zones.
But, the other side of this debate stipulates that a recipe created by another cook captures their vision of what the finished product should be, and that you should follow it to the word at least once before making your own adjustments. This article from The Outline (click here!) even attests that "baking is not a fucking game", comparing the process the well-respected contemporary science of "alchemical transformation". Yes, you did read that correctly.
I do respect the view of following recipes exactly at least once, but I cannot fathom allowing the extremism exhibited in the piece from The Outline into my kitchen. Besides, there are numerous uncontrollable variables at play that mean that your output will be somewhat different to the original, including;
kitchen equipment ("I can't afford a stand mixer")
varying ability ("I'm great with flavours but spreading ganache eludes me")
time considerations ("I'd love to make this more than once but my masters thesis is due soon!")
money considerations ("I'd love to make this more than once but December is an expensive month!")
Literally anything else you could think of ("the UK general election is looming and I cannot move for fear")
In spite of the above, I set myself the mission of finding myself a recipe that I would make precisely from the directions stipulated. Specifically a Smitten Kitchen recipe, because I've spent so long reading her writing thinking "this all looks great", yet failing to make anything (with the exception of the Wild Mushroom Shepherd's Pie - click here!). So, sitting in the library of a university that I never attended in the hours before going to an A Capella show (shout out to Absolute Harmony - click here!) I filed through lists, laid many-a-bookmark and finally settled on the Peanut Butter Brownies (click here!). Being a relatively recent convert to peanut butter, and a longstanding brownie devotee, surely this was a recipe I could follow to the T...?
Well. The illusion persisted for approximately two-to-three hours. It turns out the the A Capella show was so brilliant that the applause was vociferous and the cheering unabated, which is how it should be. However, this did give my easily-overwhelmed head a bit of a headache and my mind drifted a bit in the second half. On to what, you ask? Is it terrible if I tell you that I became distracted by the memory of a cookie I had eaten a week earlier? This is the part where you tell me that, of course, that's totally understandable and list the various great figures of history who have been similarly distracted by cookies.
A couple of weeks back, friend-of-the-blog-Bee and I had a day in London where we tried as much food as we could afford (I will talk about this after the recipe) before going to see the amazing ladies of My Favourite Murder live (yes, it was incredible). A place that FOTB Bee, quite justifiably, made us walk from Victoria to Soho for was a tiny cookie store called Crème (click here!). The cookies here might also be called baked dough mounds, and I do mean this as a compliment. I had the miso and white chocolate cookie, and my world was irrevocably altered.
Having both the cookie, and the prospective brownies in my mind, somehow they became shoehorned together, not unlike the way that different strains of influenza can mutate together in animal vectors. Thus, they started on the path towards becoming Miso and Peanut Butter Blondies that resulted from this long process. So, technically a failure in my original ambition, but I can attest that these blondies are a victory in every other area.
The output of this recipe is more cakey than a usual blondie, and this may sound like a disappointment, but I think the dense texture here is interesting enough to hold it's own. The flavour is firmly within the sweet & salty camp, but with an extra savoury contrast from the miso, paired against the white chocolate. I'm ready to become a standard bearer for the sweet applications of miso!
As one last note, I'd like to disclaim that this is a Smitten Kitchen recipe, adjusted by me. As opposed to being 'my recipe'. Which might not seem like it matters too much, especially when absolutely no recipes are created entirely from the mind of the originator, however, I think it's important to give credit in a time when it seems easier and easier to pass off someone else's work as your own. Now, enjoy!
Miso & Peanut Butter Blondies
Makes 16 large or 32 mini slices.
Blondies 230g of unsalted butter
350g of light brown sugar
225g of crunchy peanut butter
2 large eggs plus 1 yolk
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
250g of plain flour
250g of white chocolate chunks
1 1/2 tbsp of white miso paste
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Ganache
200g of milk chocolate
50g of white chocolate
120ml of double cream
15 grams of unsalted butter
Pinch of salt
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C (160 for fan ovens). Butter a large, rectangular baking pan before lining the bottom with baking parchment and spreading a thin layer of butter on that too.
Beat butter and sugar together until the mixture is fully aerated. Add peanut butter and miso and mix until fully incorporated. It might be an idea to add 1 tbsp of miso first, tasting the mixture before then adding more. You may even want to go up to 2 tbsp.
Beat in the whole eggs, egg yolk and vanilla. Add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until just-combined.
Mix in the chocolate chunks before spreading the mixture in the pan. Smooth the top, but don't be too overzealous about it.
Put the brownies in the oven, and take them out after 40 minutes to check them. If a knife/metal skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean then they're done. If not, give them another 5 minutes before checking again.
Leave the brownies for about 90 minutes in order for them to cool completely.
When the brownies are cool, make the ganache. Put the second lot of chocolate chunks in a heatproof bowl.
Bring cream to boil in a small saucepan. Once this has boiled, pour the cream over the chocolate chunks, briefly stir and let stand for 1 minute.
Whisk in the butter until the chocolate has melted and everything is incorporated.
Pour the ganache over the blondies and spread relatively evenly - again, no need for zealotry here! Leave to stand for 15 minutes before cutting into slices and distributing as you see fit! These will keep in an airtight container for three days, however make sure not to stack them. They are also freezable if, for some unfathomable reason, you are unable to eat them within that time-frame.
Notes & Adjustments
As this is a baking recipe, please do note that all of my suggested adjustments here very tentative. Picture your shyest friend who wants to be helpful but is incredibly nervous!
If the cakey texture is not for you, perhaps try a smooth peanut butter instead of crunchy. However, I do really love the mouthfeel (sorry) of the peanut pieces in this.
You can buy miso paste in most supermarkets; mine was from Tesco. If you can't find this, or don't want to include it then I think I'd recommend trying out the original recipe!
A dark chocolate ganache would also work here. Just use 250g of dark chocolate in place of the specifications above.
I had an idea that maybe I could put a caramel between the brownie and the ganache before thinking "ugh, too high maintenance". If you're up for a challenge, perhaps you'd like to give that a go?
I'm sorry that my pictures were a bit sub-par this week! I'm still getting used to using a light-box for when there is no natural light.
P.S. London Food Extravaganza
Okay, very quickly as I'm conscious that I've written a LOT for this post, I'm going to detail the food that FOTB Bee and I found in our pre-true crime show roam around London.
'Tacos el Carbon' from Super Tacos London.
Gunpowder Smoked Squash LOADED Naan from Flank. Both of the above were situated in the Market Halls in Victoria.
Pick and Cheese. This is cheese, paired with an accompaniment on a conveyor belt. Yes, a total sensation. Find it in Seven Dials.
I want to try these immediately!!! Still not convinced by the miso though...