A CHOCOLATE RECIPE IS A FRIEND.

Most people tend to treat recipes formally. "Hello Recipe. Nice to meet you. Lets get together," they seem to say nervously as if meeting a slightly senior manager at the office. Chocolate Recipes are friends. Or friends of friends.You say, "Hi. Great to see you! Wow you are cool!" Now together you unravel stories, exchange confidences,tell a funny story or two and agree to have some great moments of real fun.

Before you start ask the Recipe who is actually going to eat the finished goodie. Discuss the person who both of you know intimately. Discuss the flavours and textures and types of food that person likes most to eat. Decide you are both going to give that person a great treat.

The Recipe will whisper to you, "Hey dude, chocolate is both a flavour and a food. How about us trying to combine both this time!" You say, "Is that possible?" The Recipe replies, "Sure, no sweat! Lets try the chocolatiest brownie ever made in history of this country." So you get started. The Recipe reads out a list of ingredients.

"OK we need:50gm of salted butter. Salt give things a bit of ping! 90gm of real smooth brown palm sugar.
"Palm sugar?" you say."Yeah, I'm bored stiff with refined sugar. Besides it will taste a bit creamy without getting creamy." says Recipe.
".. 75gm of dark chocolate. One egg! Pinch of salt,40grams of cassava flour.."

"You must be kidding" you tell Recipe. "Nope, Cassava flour gives has a bit of quirky taste. You said the people we are going to feed are expecting a bit of a surprise?" So right, you shut up.

"...25gm of cocoa. 90 gm of halved, slightly over -roasted cashews. You got that? Slightly over-roasted. 100 grams of dark chocolate squares. OK that it. Any contributions from you?"

So you take over:
1) Melt butter over a low heat, add sugar, dissolve, remove from heat.
2)Add dark chocolate. It will melt with residual heat. Stir signing an aria.
3)Blend cocoa and flour nicely dancing briskly.
4)Whisk in egg, singing a soft and gentle song.
5) Add in the butter mix and a pinch of salt all in any animated way.
6)Add the chocolate squares and mix to combine.

Recipe says,"Don't worry if it is a chunky kind of mix. I did tell you that this brownie is going to treat chocolate as a flavour and food!"You say "gotcha!"

7) Add the cashew nuts and stir it in.
8)Scoop into a brownie tin and bake in a 170C oven for 20 minutes.
9)After cooling remove from tin and cut into chunky rectangles.

IT looks good. It feels good. It tastes incredibly good.

Do a little jig with the Recipe and take a bow to a grand invisible audience.