“The pleasure of governing must be very great, since so many people want to meddle in it.” — Voltaire
I can vote in a country whose policies don’t directly affect me, but I can’t vote in the country where I live and am directly affected by the policies of its government.
It’s like falling between two stools. Or maybe I should compare it to between the devil and the deep blue sea. Or is it a rock and a hard place?
Being an expat — a long-term, permanent expat — is like living in a political no-man’s land. I’ve often felt like a woman without a country quite of my own; not literally, of course, but culturally, socially, and now politically. As Matthew Arnold wrote in Stanzas from the Grande Chartreuse in 1855, “Wandering between two worlds, one dead, The other powerless to be born, With nowhere yet to rest my head,”
I’m being awfully dramatic, but it is very much the truth. I straddle two worlds, following politics on both sides of the Atlantic, and I constantly wonder whether I have any real influence in either of them and whether it is even possible.
And this year, the dilemma feels even more difficult and confusing. In both countries, the political choices seem to be moving further toward the two extremes, and I am increasingly unable to see myself comfortably or happily — or safely — on either side, in either political space. What happened to the middle, the more pragmatic, sensible, workable middle?
I seem to be forever wandering among the chaos without a voice.
We are now in the throes of campaign seasons in both of my countries. Voices shout at me from the radio and tv, opinions and promises are thrown out at me from social media. My head spins as I check my far-away voting status while folks around me talk about the local mayoral elections, debate about who is running to represent us as député and sénateur, and jabber on and on about “la présidentielle,” wondering who (and how many) will throw their hats into the ring as rivals against, yes, the Far Left and the Far Right.
Trying to figure out where, exactly, my voice counts, or where it will even be heard is extremely exhausting. And pretty frustrating.
I spend a lot of time yelling at electronic devices.
“No party holds the privilege of dictating to me how I shall vote.” — Mark Twain
And so I continue my break from politics as I try to figure the whole thing out. And I make jam for my hotel and I bake for my Substack. And I dream about that perfect world, the same one I dreamed of (and went looking for) 40 years ago when I left the States. And, frankly, I desperately needed chocolate.
I mean, when the world goes to hell in a handbasket — my mom’s words, not mine — when the world becomes too much, too noisy, too somber, too turbulent and upsetting, chocolate is always the very best idea.
“It is wit and ridicule that must dispense justice to all the failings and foibles of men and society.” — Sébastien-Roch Nicolas de Chamfort
Chocolate, they claim, releases, happy chemicals. Chocolate is said to lower stress, improve your mood, and infuse your soul and body with calming energy. Those are the best ingredients for any cake I could possibly make. These better-than-brownies chocolate cake bars are all that and more — dense and moist, almost chewy, intensely chocolate. The cake is heightened by a glossy, creamy, chocolatey ganache frosting. I love these bars with whole macadamia nuts, but these can be replaced by any nut, from hazelnuts to traditional walnuts or pecans, to salted peanuts.
I just don’t know why nutritionists insist we “keep portions small.”
Better-Than-Brownies Chocolate Frosted Bars
For the cake:
15 tablespoons (225 grams) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups (400 grams) sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup (140 grams) flour
¾ cup (about 80 grams) cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon or instant espresso powder, optional
1 cup nuts, whole or coarsely chopped, or more, as desired
For the frosting :
1 ½ cups (about 200 grams) semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped or chips
⅔ cup (165 ml) heavy cream
2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter, softened
Prepare the Chocolate Cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with soft butter.
In a large bowl, whisk or beat the softened butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding the vanilla with the last egg.
Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt (and the teaspoon of cinnamon or instant espresso powder, if desired, and gradually beat or stir into the batter. Fold in the nuts.
Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes until just set in the center. Do not overbake. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.
Prepare the frosting: Melt the chocolate with the cream in a microwave until the chocolate is almost but not completely melted; remove from the microwave and stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. This can also be done in a bain marie or in a heatproof bowl over just-simmering water.
Stir in the softened butter; it may look curdled and greasy but continue to stir or whisk vigorously until it turns into a very smooth, creamy, glossy frosting, just a couple of minutes.
Immediately spread the frosting evenly over the chocolate cake. Allow to set before cutting into bars.
Store in the refrigerator.
Jamie Schler is an American food and culture writer — immersed in French culinary history — living in France where she owns a hotel, makes jam, and writes the Substack Life’s a Feast.
