I’m having a few gals over in a bit to do a Rosé wine tasting. For the afternoon, I made a few simple but delicious afternoon tea-like snacks including 24-karat-chocolate brownies and ginger cream scones. Chocolate, ginger, and wine—perfection!
Things have been busy here while we pack, then pack more, finalizing moving details and getting our road trip squared away. I’m really looking forward to the east coast with all the new possibilities ahead!
24 Karat Chocolate Brownies, Via Nigel Slater
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 pound (2 sticks) plus 2 tablespoons butter
9 oz. solid 70% chocolate
3 large eggs, plus one extra yolk
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons finest quality cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
Line a 9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until white and fluffy. You can do this by hand if you want to, but just make sure to keep going until the mixture is really soft and creamy.
Meanwhile, break the chocolate into pieces and over a double broiler (or just a metal bowl over the top of a pan of some boiling water) but not touching the boiling water. Save about 2oz. As soon as the chocolate is completely melted, remove it from the heat. Chop the remaining 2 oz into gravel-sized pieces.
Break the eggs into a small bowl and beat them lightly with a fork. Sift together the flour, cocoa and baking powder and mix in a pinch of salt. With the mixer running slowly, slowly add the eggs a little at a time, speeding up between additions. Add the flour/cocoa powder mixture to the mixer and then mix in the melted and the chopped chocolate.
Scrape the brownie batter into the prepared pan, smooth out the top and bake 30 minutes. The top will have risen slightly and the cake will appear slightly softer in the middle than around the edges. Pierce the center with a fork; it should come out sticky but not with raw batter on it. If it does, then return the brownie to the oven for three more minutes. It’s worth remembering that it will solidify a little on cooling, so if it appears a bit wet, don’t worry. Leave it to cool for at least an hour before cutting into squares. Enough for 12.
Ginger Cream Scones, via Deborah Madison
1 cup candied ginger, chopped to the size of a raisin
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar, plus extra for the top
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
2 eggs
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Preaheat the oven to 425 degrees F. If you have a baking stone, heat it for an extra ten minutes. Or lightly butter a sheet pan.
Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt with the butter and cut it with either your fingers or a stand mixer until it resembles a coarse meal. Combine the eggs, cream, vanilla with the flour mixture and add the chopped candied ginger. Turn the dough ball out onto the parchment paper you will bake it on and pat it into a circle then either using your palms or a rolling pin, press it down until it is a disk about 3/4 inch high. With the remaining cream, brush across the top and sprinkle with sugar. Cut into 12 wedges and bake directly on the stone or on the sheet pan until glazed with gold, about 15 minutes. Serve warm.
What’s that, you say? Black Bean brownies? Yes, you didn’t read that wrong. These little dense chocolate squares of goodness are packed with dark chocolate flavor that melts in your mouth. They are flourless, heightening the chocolate-effect to a whole new level. So if you are gluten intolerant, this is a fantastic option for you.
I admit, I was curious. How would these turn out? Would they be…good? Or would they be just another new-fangled, health-crazed, recipe trying to turn a classic into something “healthy”? I had to find out. Reading through the recipe, I couldn’t tell how they would taste (namely because I had never purred beans into a baked good) but I was pleasantly surprised.
The only thing that caught me off guard was the cup and a half of agave nectar it called for. I mean, that stuff is sweet. For every tablespoon of honey, you only need about a teaspoon of agave–it’s intense. The thought of that much agave made my mouth pucker a bit. There is also a lot of controversy about agave nectar being a good sugar substitute. Unlike sugar, it has a very low glycemic index. Diabetics can use it because it doesn’t interfere with their insulin levels–meaning it doesn’t make their blood sugar go wonky when they eat it. However, the reason it doesn’t interfere with our insulin levels is because agave is processed in the body, through the liver, as fructose. Fructose does not get converted into blood glucose (or energy in the form of sugars from foods we eat including: whole grains, fruits, and even regular ol’ sugar–the most concentrated form), but rather it gets stored in our body as fat. Hmm.
Also, in order to get agave to it’s edible sweet form that we all know and can buy in bottles in the store, it goes through quite the process of refinement. This means that all of the natural enzymes that would normally help the body digest these high levels of fructose are gone, thus leaving our liver to do a big job of sorting through and processing everything. What do I think about agave? Moderation, moderation, moderation. I prefer over all raw, natural honey or maple syrup–they are my absolute favorites. I used to use a lot more agave (in my tea, on toast, etc…) but I don’t do that any more. The studies that I have read make me hesitant to eat too much of it–as it is constantly associated with being as bad, if not worse, for you as the dreaded High Fructose Corn Syrup. And in reality, they are both made quite similarly.
And knowing all this, I still made these brownies. I love the quest, the challenge, the different ingredients! And call it what you will, but it was so interesting to see how they would turn out in both flavor and especially texture. I am smitten with the flourless-ness that the black beans provided–they were as rich, moist, and dense as a flourless chocolate cake. This made my mind swirl with other ideas about using purred legumes in things! They also turned out to be a bit too sweet for my taste. If I ever end up making them again, I am going to play around with a combination of other sweeteners like molasses, maple syrup, honey, and brown rice syrup. (The recipe said to use a 1:1 ratio for honey as a substitute if you don’t have agave–if you try this, let me know how they turn out!) Make no mistake, these are not “healthy” for you! But they are fun to make, delicious to eat and share with friends. Did I mention they will satisfy major chocolate cravings? Yes, in a big way.
Cheers!
Black Bean Brownies, recipe adapted from 101 cookbooks
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate 1 cup unsalted butter 2 cups soft-cooked black beans, drained and rinsed well (about 1 can) 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 3 tablespoons instant coffee or espresso 3 tablespoons cocoa powder (I found adding this gave them a richer, deeper texture and flavor) ¼ teaspoon sea salt 4 large eggs 1½ cups raw, dark agave nectar (dark agave I feel heightens the chocolate flavor vs. the light agave which literally just adds “sweet” to what you use it in).
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line an 11- by 18-inch (rimmed) baking pan (or jellyroll pan) with parchment paper and lightly oil with canola oil spray.
Melt the chocolate and butter in a glass bowl in the microwave for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on high. Stir with a spoon to melt the chocolate completely. Place the beans, 1/2 cup of the walnuts, the vanilla extract, and a couple of spoonfuls of the melted chocolate mixture into the bowl of a food processor. Blend about 2 minutes, or until smooth. The batter should be thick and the beans smooth. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together the remaining 1/2 cup walnuts, remaining melted chocolate mixture, coffee substitute, and salt. Mix well and set aside.
In a separate bowl, with an electric mixer beat the eggs until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the agave nectar and beat well. Set aside.
Add the bean/chocolate mixture to the coffee/chocolate mixture. Stir until blended well.
Add the egg mixture, reserving about 1/2 cup. Mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Using an electric mixer, beat the remaining 1/2 cup egg mixture until light and fluffy. Drizzle over the brownie batter. Use a wooden toothpick to pull the egg mixture through the batter, creating a marbled effect. (I ended up not doing this and it was absolutely fine). Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the brownies are set. Let cool in the pan completely before cutting into squares. (They will be soft until refrigerated.)
Makes 45 (2-inch) brownies.
I couldn’t help myself. The thought of letting this day pass without a nod to my namesake simply didn’t sit well. So I thought about it, what can I make today? I went through the traditional list of Irish-themed foods: Irish Soda Bread (actually, a favorite of mine), corned beef stew, green things (hey, I eat a lot of kale as it is…so it didn’t count this time!). Looking through my cupboards, I came across a little bottle of peppermint extract—I also had been stashing copious amounts of chocolate that needed to get used up—put the two together and, you guessed it, some form of a minty, chocolaty concoction was going to be (and then became) the delight-of-the-day.
On most occasions, I don’t really like mint and chocolate together. I DO like them as a complimentary pair, but it is rare that I find that perfect combination–the smooth, rich chocolate can not be overwhelmed by an overwhelming pepperminty taste that leaves my mouth feeling like I just licked toothpaste. Yuck. So when I found a brownie recipe with a ganache topping, I realized adding a hint of peppermint to the ganache would be just thing thing–and very St.Patty’s like I imagined.
On another note, I’ve been making lots of updates to my site here! I’ve included more about Health Coaching–what it is, the benefits, and examples about how it can be a huge help in one’s life. I believe that without your health, what do we have really? Just in my own life, the changes I’ve been through in the past two years, much less six months, as I hone in on my own health and eating habits have been amazing. Not to mention thoroughly insightful, as well! More energy, more variety in what I eat, and even more fun (yes, fun!) have all become part of my daily life. I also believe that there is a balance to everything–so what you eat, er, ahem, such as brownies or even puff pastry for that matter, is only part of the whole equation. And I’m totally looking at myself in the mirror here! Let’s face it, I love to bake. That is a part of my life that isn’t going anywhere. Sweets make everything better! But, interestingly enough, I have found I don’t crave them anymore. It’s about the process of baking that I really get into rather than just the end result. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE eating what I make, but it’s all in moderation. I give a lot of what I make away too–let’s just say that my friends are well satiated when it comes to sweets 
.
I’ve also updated my resources page–some of my favorite blogs, sites, and people who do/make amazing things are there. I am still going to add a section for books (and I’d love it if other blogs did this too! I am ALWAYS open to new good reading options…), and favorite places around Portland. On the Pietopia page, there have been a few more judges added. There are some super interesting people on the judging panels this year if I don’t say so myself .
Enjoy the brownies! They are great to share with your friends–super dense and rich but oh so wonderful. Cheers!
Chocolate Brownies
8 tbsp butter
6 ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate, broken into large chunks
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
3/4 tbsp vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
Ganache 1 capful (maybe a little less even) of peppermint extract 1/3 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped 3/4 cup whipping cream
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 9×13 inch baking pan. In a medium saucepan, stir butter and bittersweet chocolate over very low heat with a heatproof rubber spatula until just melted (do not let simmer or boil). Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Slowly pour chocolate-butter mix into egg mix, whisking constantly. In separate bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. With a clean rubber spatula, gently fold flour mixture into egg mixture until just combined. Spread batter evenly in baking pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until brownies are firm, beginning to pull away from sides of pan, and a toothpick inserted in center emerges with only a few crumbs clinging to it. Let brownies cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
In the top of a double boiler, combine chopped semisweet chocolate and whipping cream. Cook, stirring often, until melted and blended. Remove from heat, stir in the capful of peppermint extract, and let ganache cool until just warm. Pour ganache over cooled brownies in pan and allow to set until firm, about 1 hour in the refrigerator.
The other night, I had a few girlfriends over to see the new house, hang out, and catch up. It was so nice to be able to bring my kitchen table outside to the backyard, use candles when it got dark, drink wine, and talk! I love how people can really take you out of your head space–in a refreshing way. What I mean by this is sometimes I find myself so wrapped up in what I am doing, a project, or task, that I forget about everything else. I can get serious tunnel vision when it comes to zeroing in on completing something! But even so, that tunnel vision can creep up on me when it’s not totally necessary–and I find myself using it as a fallback during daily routine stuff which I am not so into. This is when getting together with a bunch of close friends can be really great–they get you out of your head and thinking about completely different things! After this dinner, I felt as if I had exhaled–and definitely laughed a lot.
It’s been a bit hot here in Portland this past week and the tomatoes here are STUNNING. Absolutely gorgeous and in their prime. My favorite are the little green baskets of the heirloom cherry tomatoes you can get at farmer’s markets and the grocery store–little yellow, orange, and red ones. The colors are bright and beautiful and the flavors are even better! So I thought I would showcase these flavors in a simple tomato salad. It was a good idea . I then served a dish of fresh creamy feta and kalamata olives on the side in case anyone wanted to turn it into a Greek salad. I also made hummus and some pitas. I love to make hummus, it is super easy and I know exactly what’s in it–plus it is fresher and more flavorful. I like to use a lot of lemon in mine . For dessert, I made brownies. I had been seeing brownies around lately–in reading (novels, blogs, and magazines–I guess that says a lot about what I read!) and generally just around. It’s kind of like when you start to notice, say, the color red. You just see it everywhere all of a sudden! That’s how it felt like with brownies. So I had to make them. These brownies were delicious and chewy. The cinnamon and coffee give them a Mexcali kick and next time I might nix the cinnamon to have an even deeper chocolate experience. These were especially good with red wine–I highly recommend having a glass with one of these brownies if you make them!
Tomato Salad
Put into a huge bowl: half a pint of colorful cherry tomatoes, cut up one or two more large heirlooms too, a thinly sliced cucumber with most of the skin removed, cut up one or two Italian peppers or “Jimmy Nardello’s” as they are also known, finely chop about 1/4 red onion. Then pour a generous helping of nice olive oil on top (about 4-5 tablespoons), sprinkle some nice coarse sea salt on top, some oregano, and some pepper. Cut a lemon in half and squeeze the whole thing on top. Toss and serve.
Hummus
Put into a food processor:
1-2 large garlic cloves
a good handful of Italian parsley–pulse together
Then add:
2 cans garbanzo beans
about a tablespoon of tahini sauce (you may want more or less depending on how you like it to taste, more if you want a more bitter flavor, less if not)
a good run of olive oil–about a 1/2 cup (I usually just turn the bottle over and count to 
cut a lemon in half and squeeze that whole thing in there–sometimes I even add a little zest too
and some salt.
Pulse it all together until creamy adding a little of this or that until the flavor is right for you. (Usually I need more lemon or olive oil.)
Brownies, recipe via Culinate
6 oz bittersweet chocolate (around 60% cacao)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon coco powder (any kind)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1-2 tablespoons ground instant coffee
3/4 kosher salt (don’t use regular table salt!)
1 cup all purpose flour
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-by-8-inch baking dish, or line it with a piece of aluminum foil. (The foil is wasteful, but it allows you to remove all the brownies easily from the pan.) In a medium saucepan, combine the chocolate and butter and cook, stirring frequently, over medium-low heat. When the chocolate and butter are evenly melted, remove from the heat and let cool while you mix the rest of the ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, vanilla extract, coffee, and salt. Stir in the butter-chocolate mixture, then stir in the flour. Scrape the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake until a tester inserted in the center of the brownies comes out mostly clean with only a few crumbs attached, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool at least half an hour before cutting. Cut the brownies in the pan or, if you used aluminum foil, use the edges of the foil to lift the sheet of uncut brownies out of the pan before cutting into squares or rectangles.
Bon Apetit!
