A friend who helped to organize a wonderful hen weekend in Berlin full of food, chats, laughter and prosecco (lots of prosecco!!).
A friend who came to Rome with me and - instead of visiting the eternal city or flirting with Italian men - discussed our table plans and flower arrangements and helped to make 150 petal cones (at midnight!).
A friend who stayed calm and sweet, even when I was losing my nerves and sometimes my temper.
A friend who embraces life and celebrates food wherever she goes (and definitely when she goes to Italy!). Below some illustrations:
Falling in love with a roasted hazelnut and chocolate torta in Anguillara
Eating the first gelato of the day way before lunchtime at Gelateria della Palma in Rome and going back for more the next day!(oh, and guess which flavor she chose: Bacio i.e. chocolate and roasted and caramalized hazelnuts)
Drinking the very first caffe' ever! (Well done, Heidi! If there ever was a place where you should crack and have your first coffee, it certainly is Italy!)
Indulging in truly sinful chocolate-hazelnut tartufo at La Piazzetta in Santa Marinella (after a hearty portion of gnocchetti in a wonderfully simple tomato-mozzarella sauce)
Thank you Heidi for always being there and for being such a wonderful friend! May the next year bring you love, happiness and many special and cherished moments. And may it bring you HEAPS of chocolate and roasted hazelnuts! I wish I could bring you a birthday cake but since that's difficult I baked you some brownies instead. Happy birthday my dear friend!
Dulce de Leche Brownies
(adopted from David Lebovitz)
These brownies are truly wonderful since they are chewy throughout with some gooey Dulce de Leche islands. You could leave the Dulce de Leche out and the brownies would still be delicious, but with it they become something very special. Making the Dulce de Leche is really easy and so worth it! You can adjust the level of gooeyness by using smaller or larger dollops of the Dulce de Leche and by swirling it just a little bit or more thoroughly. The Dulce de Leche is also gorgeous as a spread on toasted bread or on top of ice cream (while dreaming of Italy...).
115g salted butter, cut into pieces
170g bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup (25g) unsweetened cocoa powder
3 eggs
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or one package of vanilla sugar
1 cup (140g) flour
1 cup (100 g) toasted pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup Dulce de Leche
Preheat the oven to 175 C (350 degrees)).
Line a 20 cm (8-inch) square pan with parchment paper that covers the bottom and reaches up the sides.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the chocolate pieces and stir constantly over very low heat until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Add in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the sugar, vanilla, then the flour. Mix in the nuts.
Scrape half of the (very sticky) batter into the prepared pan.
Drop one-third of the Dulce de Leche, evenly spaced, over the brownie batter, then drag a knife through to swirl it slightly. Spread the remaining brownie batter over, then drop spoonfuls of the remaining Dulce de Leche in dollops over the top of the brownie batter. Use a knife to swirl the Dulce de Leche slightly.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. The brownies are done when the center feels just-slightly firm. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
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