blue artichoke

One cannot live on banana bread alone. True, it is quite versatile, acting as breakfast, afternoon snack and dessert, but it’s not enough. Sometimes you need brownies. Plain brownies are an ongoing Snackdown endeavor here Chez Artichoke Bleu; slow going because our waistlines simply cannot endure another fast-paced competition. Brownies are a treat enjoyed whenever I decide that I need something sweet and chocolatey and a tiny little truffle just won’t cut it. Or, last night. I had a box of unsweetened chocolate left over from the chicken mole, so I searched my untested brownie recipes for one that called for unsweetened chocolate rather than semisweet chocolate chips. I tested one from Cook’s Illustrated (may require registration), which was fairly easy to assemble, though my stirring arm got quite a workout. It called for a rather elaborate preparation of the pan, involving precise measured folds of aluminum foil. Not one for preciseness, I tore off one large sheet and lined the pan, simply and easily. After I filled the pan with batter and popped it in the oven, I set the timer and noticed that the recipe required a 2-hour cool down after baking. Two hours! Why must the editors of Cook’s Illustrated be so cruel? Brownies are not a plan-ahead thing; they’re spur of the moment, stand by the oven and drool at the smells with fork in hand, ready to pounce once fully cooked (and sometimes not even waiting that long). Two hours! Sheesh!

Last weekend, when discussing the Snackdown, someone said that his parents considered naming him “Brownie.” They chose another name, but how awesome would it be to be named Brownie? If GC and I ever had kids, I’d name them food names. Brownie. Pancakes. Butternut. Lobstah. Hell, yeah!

Getting to Know All About You: What food name do you wish you had? What’s your favorite food-related term of endearment (i.e., Sugar, Honey, Petit Chou)?

Update: I waited 15 minutes before cutting into the brownies. GC showed greater restraint, waiting almost 2 hours, but that's only because he wasn't at home. The brownies were good, but certainly not worth waiting two hours for!