Brownies 01

(This article orignally appeared in the September 2005 issue of LaBrea Living Magazine.)

The Brownies that Ina Inspired and I Imagined
by dale reinert, food editor

There are certain TV chefs that I watch religiously. After all, as a self-proclaimed foodie, I would need to be a follower of selected perspectives on food and cooking: the do’s and the don’ts, the rights and the wrongs. My favorites include Alton Brown and Ina Garten, though there are many others that I admire.

Brownies as a food is something that I have always thought I should like and know about and be able make at the drop of a hat. Yet, as a child or an even as an adult, I avoided eating brownies because they just weren’t good.

Brownies seem like a quintessential American food. In fact, there is some animated discussion among foodies as to the origin of the brownie. Is it descended from scones, hard candies, or cake?

So, one early Saturday morning I found myself sitting in the recliner and trying to wake up to the Food Network (www.foodtv.com). Watching one show after another, I passively took in info, techniques and recipes ideas. Then, on the screen, for the first time in my life, was a brownie recipe that spoke to me.

Without a thought, immediately after the show, I jumped up and bought the finest of ingredients and set to baking.

I made Garten’s “Outrageous Brownies” and they look nothing like what mesmerized me that morning. Re-reading the recipe revealed that I had not followed her recipe. (The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten is available in most bookstores.)

So I tried again. Still not right. So, again and again I baked. Still they were not what I had hoped for. And, by the way, I had lost the image and idea of those amazingly looking and sounding brownies Ina had made those many Saturday mornings ago on TV.

Now, I was engaged in a journey trying to figure out what the brownie was to me and to my imagination. I was wrestling with cocoa powder versus melted chocolate; chips versus chopped one ounce chunks; and nuts or no nuts. I even experimented with leavening agents.

My coworkers smiled and gladly gobbled up all my attempts. Rave reviews poured in each time, but I was not satisfied.

After 36 pans of brownies, I had struck on what I had imagined. Brownies with a deep, dark chocolate flavor whose shiny crust gives way to a dense and nearly-gooey cake. These were the brownies that allowed my teeth to sink in and my mouth to water. So, here’s my version of “Outrageous Brownies.”

My Brownies as Imagined

Ingredients
1 pound unsalted butter
28 ounces semisweet chocolate chips plus 6 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate
6 extra-large eggs
4 tablespoons instant coffee granules
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
2 1\4 cups sugar
1 1\4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Procedure
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter the corners of a half sheet pan, and then place parchment paper so the bottom and sides are completely covered.

2. Melt together in a double boiler the butter, 16 ounces of the chocolate chips, and all the bitter chocolate. The water should never go above a decent simmer. Whisk together to incorporate. Then allow the chocolate mixture to cool for at least 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a bowl large enough to hold both the following mixture and the chocolate mixture, stir together with a wooden spoon the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla, and sugar. Now incorporate the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Let this combine batter cool to room temperature – about another 40minutes.

4. In a second medium bowl, sift together the 1 ¼ cup flour and the baking powder, and then stir in the kosher salt. Add the dry ingredients to the cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the remaining chocolate chips with a ¼ cup of flour, and then fold them to the chocolate batter. Pour onto the prepared baking sheet.

5. Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, then turn the oven off and let sit in the oven for another 20 minutes.

6. After cooled to room temperature, slide the brownies out of the pan by loosening the corners and then tilting the pan. The parchment allows everything to slide out easily. Using a serrated bread knife, cut into 24 pieces (6 columns by 4 rows) and stack on your favorite plate.

Notes:
A. By tossing the chocolate chips in flour, you will create a starch coating that allows the chips to “float” within the batter without sinking to the bottom and forming a layer of melted chips and it enables the chips to keep their shapes within the batter.

B. I have used nuts both mixed into the batter as well as being pressed into the top of the batter just before baking. After all my trials and errors, I think nut-free brownies are better. But you should take this recipe and make it your own.