Notes from the Square Mile: St John's Chocolate Brownies

Now, dear readers, sometimes our summers do not deliver.  While the weekend gave us the hottest day of the year, sadly this came to an end abruptly today.   This morning started muggy, and by the afternoon we were treated to the inevitable thunderstorm.  Trudging home from further clerical training in the docklands, my shirt drenched with rain, my spirits were at something of a low ebb.

I tried to console myself with some healthy callisthenics, but despite an hour of squat thrusts and lunges I was no closer to raising my mood.  Luckily, on my return from the gymnasium, my dearest suitor, Mr Apple, came to my rescue with a delightful treat in the form of a St John's Chocolate Brownie.

For those of you not familiar with St John's, this restaurant (and its head chef, Mr Fergus Henderson) is at the forefront of modern British cuisine, heading the fashion for nose to tail eating.   It prides itself on deceptively simple, traditional dishes done well, and they have been consistently rated amongst the top fifty restaurants in the world for several years running.  Indeed, Miss Peas and I (as well as our chaperones Mr Green and Mr Apple) have had the pleasure of dining there one evening, although that is a subject for another article.  As well as the restaurant, they also have a number of other ventures including a more casual canteen style restaurant near Spitalfields and a bakery, which fortuitously provided this brownie.

I imagine you may have come across brownies before (and not just of the little girl variety)  Sadly, all too often these are plastic wrapped imitations, imprisoned alongside rough looking flapjacks on a rack in a railway station kiosk, with no chance of early release for good behaviour.  Cast all such dry and crumbly things from your mind.  This is an item of much higher calibre, and deserves your fresh appraisal. Now sit up straight and pay attention, for Mr Carrot is going to tell you a story.

Take a deep breath.  Close your eyes.  Imagine, if you will, a rectangle roughly three inches by four.  Dark brown in colour, it looks innocent at first.  There is a light dusting of icing sugar on top.  Now, pick it up and take a bite.  The first bite is always a shock.  Think of the interior of a fine chocolate fondant, not overly sugary and with a cocoa flavour that just hints at bitterness.  Imagine that in bar form, slightly thickened, so it is edging towards a rich dark fudge, both in texture and flavour.  Finally, add a cakey outer layer that merges seamlessly with the smooth inside.  This, my friends, is what you are in for with a St John's brownie.

But wait, what is this?  Why, there are hazelnuts and pecans as well, contrasting with the smooth buttery interior to provide an unexpected crunch!  The flavour of the nuts mingles with that of the brownie, mixing on your tongue to something approaching a fine praline.  Now, continue to devour this moist and yielding morsel (as if you have any choice).

Once you have nommed it all, be prepared for the mild regret that arrives when there is no more brownie left.  Luckily shortly after this comes acceptance, and shortly after that, the inevitable rush of sugar and endorphins to lift your mood and soul.

Sadly, you will have to rely on your imagination until such point when you (or your suitor) obtains a St John's brownie of your own.  But, in the meantime, I leave you with this message: God, that was one hell of a brownie!