Shame I don't like brownies!

Valentine day was here! Town was full of men running around Marks and Spencer, reaching for roses and looking desperate in the wine aisle, wondering what the difference is between a pink Prosecco and a Reserva Cava. Bless! My advice lads, you can't go wrong with a bit of Prosecco...especially from Marks!

For lack of decent funds this year I decided to treat my husband the old fashion way...with a meal. He had decided he wanted steak-frites so all I had to worry about was dessert. To show him my true love and selflessness I chose to bake him something he liked very much but does not eat very often i.e. a brownie. I don't make brownies cos I don't like them. I find them too rich, a bit too gooey and far too chocolatey to be safely digested. A woman who doesn't like chocolate you might ask? I do like chocolate in small doses but surely not in a sponge. I'm getting all boring in my old days and happily settle for something fruity instead. I have recently developed an addiction to rhubard compote but now is not the time for this fine tale.

I made the brownie and thought it looked a bit sad:

Bad, bad look! I had time on my hands so I make a chocolate sauce and worked on the presentation. You can't go giving your husband a cake that looks like it's been punched in the face or dropped from a height.

Looking better but still not the masterpiece I wanted.

For the brownie
200g dark chocolate
180g butter
3 eggs
220g caster sugar
110g plain flour
About 80g of walnuts and pecans


For the topping
80g dark chocolate
30g butter
More nuts for decoration

Next on my list was to get rid of the half pack of lardons we have in the fridge, leftovers from raclette night on Saturday. I wanted to make something my husband could have for his lunch at work, to give him a break from soups and sandwiches. I had a look on my usual French website and found a fougasse recipe that looked good. A fougasse is a sort of hybrid between a bread and a pie.
I made the dough, let it rise for a while, fried lardons, onions and mushrooms together before laying them on a bed of creme fraiche. I added some Stilton to give it some depth and voila before baking:

I brushed the fougasse with a bit of milk and put it in the oven for about 25 minutes:

 

 (Please note that after several attempts I cannot get this damned picture to rotate).

I am currently waiting to hear whether it was a success or whether I should bin the recipe! Comments to follow.

Fougasse:
250g flour (I used strong white)
pinch of salt
2 tsps of olive oil
2 tbps of creme fraiche
whatever toppings you have in the fridge, tuna, ham, mushrooms, onions, lardons...

As one last bit of preparation I made some garlic butter as my husband had mentioned it would make a difference to his meal! Husband, I give you the gift of cholesterol and shortened life:

The meal was a success.

Look at me playing it all healthy and stuff! Homemade (by moi) tuna quiche and vegs:

and then the killer piece de resistance:

and it's only Monday!