BLONDIES IN THE NAME OF GOD

rebecasaavedrag

Jul 13

2 min read

This is my third post.

Today I want to talk to you about a movie and a cake that, at first glance, don't seem to have anything to do with each other. Although I suspect they do. We'll find out soon enough.

Today's recipe is blondies, or white chocolate brownies. The film is The Magdalene Sisters ( 2002), directed by Peter Mullan.

I think they both share something: blondies, with their golden color and innocent appearance, seem like an almost angelic treat. But one bite is all it takes to discover they're a shamelessly sinful temptation: butter, sugar, and white chocolate in quantities that would make any nutritionist weep.

The film plays with a similar contrast, albeit infinitely darker. Beneath the veneer of purity and virtue of a convent lies a system of humiliation, violence, and abuse.

Based on true events, The Magdalene Sisters portrays the lives of three young Irish women sent to one of the so-called Magdalene Laundries, institutions run by religious orders where thousands of women were confined for decades. There, they were forced to work and suffered physical and psychological abuse, as well as profound dehumanization. Although the characters are fictional, the story is inspired by real testimonies and an actual incident that occurred in Ireland.

It's not an easy film to watch. Nor does it pretend to be. But it's one of those films that reminds us that the greatest injustices don't always happen in the dark; sometimes they occur in broad daylight, protected by the silence of a society that chooses not to look.

And now, on to something much sweeter.

White chocolate blondies

Ingredients

100g of butter.
1 bar of white chocolate.
1 cup of sugar.
2 eggs.
2 cups of flour.
1 pinch of salt.

Preparation

Melt the butter in the microwave. Do this in 30-second intervals to prevent it from boiling or splattering; usually, about a minute in total will be enough.

Add the chopped white chocolate and mix until it melts completely from the heat of the butter. (In the first chapter, we discussed how dangerous it is to mix chocolate with water; something similar happens with white chocolate. Also, be careful with the temperature: if it gets too hot, it can burn and lose its texture.)

Add the sugar.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Finally, add the flour and a pinch of salt. Mix just until combined; there's no need to overmix.

Pour the mixture into a greased or parchment-lined mold.

Bake for 30-40 minutes at 180°C. They should be cooked through, but with a slightly moist center to retain that dense, creamy texture that makes a blondie a blondie.