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Agatha Christie's Greenway (Devon, England) - The House

I can think of two places that we visited where I enjoyed the house more than the gardens. The first was Greenway, not for the house itself, which was surprisingly small and cramped, but for the history behind it and the fascinating mementos on display. Agatha Christie and her husband Max Mallowan were enthusiastic collectors. You can see their collections on display throughout the house - European and Oriental ceramics, pottery, African tribal masks, Egyptian artifacts, Tunbridge ware, china, trinkets, and books. The Morning Room has a portrait of Agatha Christie as a child and her doll Rosie, sitting in a chair - The Drawing Room was where the family would gather in the evenings. Christie would entertain guests by reading chapters from manuscripts of her latest books.  Agatha Christie's bedroom. Max always slept on a smaller portable traveling cot (you can see part of it in the foreground). It was his favorite bed and he carried it with him on all of his archaeological travels. N...

Denver Brownies


These are sooooo good. I think these may rank as one of my favorite of Maida's numerous brownie recipes (my favorites are the Palm Beach Brownies and the Santa Fe Brownies).

Maida Heatter says she got the recipe at a television station in Denver and was told that Julia Child had raved about them. I can see why. 

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup honey
2 tbsp. water or coffee
4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter, in pieces at room temperature
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups (6 oz.) walnuts or pecans, cut into medium-sized pieces
2 tbsp. bourbon, brandy, or rum

Preheat oven to 325. Line a 9-inch square pan with foil. Butter the foil and set aside. (Note: It is helpful to cut the foil large enough so that it drapes over the sides of the pan. This will make it easier to remove from the pan).

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.



Place the honey, water or coffee, butter and chocolate in a 2-3 qt. saucepan over low heat. Stir occasionally until the mixture has melted.



Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon.

Stir in the eggs, one at a time.

Add the flour mixture and mix well.

Stir in the nuts.


Transfer to the prepared pan and smooth the top.


Bake for about 25 minutes until tester comes out barely clean. Do not overbake.

Remove from the oven and brush the hot cake with the liquor.

Cool slightly and carefully remove from the pan. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before applying the frosting.

White Icing

4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups sifted confectioners sugar

Beat the butter until soft. Add vanilla and gradually add sugar, beating until soft and fluffy.

Spread the icing over the cake and smooth the top.

Refrigerate.



Chocolate Icing

6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp. shortening
1 tbsp. unsalted butter

Place the chocolate, shortening and butter in the top of a double boiler over hot water. Bring water to a boil, turn off the heat and cover for a few minutes until the mixture has melted. Whisk until smooth.



Pour the icing in ribbons over the cake and use a spatula to smooth it out.

Refrigerate.

Use a sharp serrated knife to cut the brownies into 1" squares.







Comments

  1. I would SO much rather have one of those brownies than the fish stew my husband is making for dinner...

    ReplyDelete

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