We all have our favorite brownie. This is mine. It's the ultimate dieter's confection - so rich that it's hard to eat more than one and that one will cure a sweet tooth that's screaming to be feed. The only trick here is in the quality of chocolate you use for baking; get the best you can. This confection is closer to a candy than a cookie and it has a wonderful texture. Don't be surprised if the kids won't eat these - they're not sweet enough for most children and they are awfully rich. Adults will take a bite and start looking for the champagne. A quick word about the icing on the brownies. There's one person in our family of two who loves hazelnut spread - I'm not that person. That other person iced the brownies while I was on the phone. Actually, I must admit they're not half bad this way but it is overkill. These brownies don't need icing.
Bittersweet Brownies
Ingredients:
8 ounces 70% bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, broken into pieces
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Directions:
1) Adjust oven rack to lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil.
2) Melt butter and chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir frequently until smooth, melted and warm. Remove from pan. Set aside.
3) Combine eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla in a medium bowl and beat with a hand-held mixer until thick and lemon colored and the mixture forms a ribbon when it falls back upon itself, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the chocolate. Fold in flour.
4) Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, abot 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Place pan on a cooling rack. Let cool. Invert pan on rack. Carefully remove foil and turn upright again. Cut into sixteen 2-inch pieces. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 16 pieces.
From Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich
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