Daring Baker's June Challenge - Danish Braid

This month the Daring Bakers challenge was a Danish Braid chosen by Kelly of Sass & Veracity and Ben of What's Cookin'?. Making pastry dough before always seemed so time consuming. But, being a member of The Daring Bakers is supposed to broaden my culinary skills and I think this recipe did just that.

Here’s some information about the dough:
* Danish dough is in the family of butter-laminated or layered dough’s with puff pastry being the ultimate. Danish dough is sweet and is yeast-leavened, however, where as puff pastry is not.
* The process of making Danish dough is less complex than that of puff pastry, but equally as important to achieve best results, and a great starting place to begin to learn about laminated dough’s in general.
* Danish dough is extremely versatile, and once made can be used for a variety of baked goods. The possibilities are endless.

What really excited me most about this challenge is that we were able to pick our own fillings. And, since it is the beginning of summer in these parts the fresh fruit filling options were endless.

In making this pastry I also incorporated another recipe: Pastry Cream. I made the pastry cream recipe out of the Baking with Dorie cookbook by Dorie Greenspan. The cream did not take that long to make, perhaps 10-15 minutes. But, you have to be dedicated to making only that cream for those 15 minutes because it requires a lot of whisking over the heat to make sure nothing burns. I made it a few days before I was ready to make the braids and kept it in the fridge.

I also made a fresh rhubarb filling and fresh cherry filling in the other. Didn’t really use a recipe here. Just put the fruit in a saucepan, added some sugar, a squirt of lemon juice and a touch of vanilla. Let the fruit come to a boil and then thicken. My cherry filling didn’t thicken as much as I liked, so in the end I mixed some cornstarch with water and poured that it. (Note: for the novice baker... never, ever put cornstarch straight into a sauce. You will never get the clumps of cornstarch to dissolve. Always dissolve it with a little water first.)

I made my dough on a Sunday and my filling the next Monday. Only problem was that the week I picked to bake this it was well over 100 degrees for five days straight! Not exactly when I want to be turning my oven on. But, the dough kept fine for a few days in the fridge until the temperature dropped a little bit.

I made two different braids: rhubarb and pastry cream, and cherries and pastry cream. I would definitely recommend dividing the dough and making two. Mine were quite long and I couldn’t imagine what size cookie sheet would be needed to cook one large braid. To make two: make the dough as described below. Cut the dough in half right before the instructions tell you to roll it out and put down the filling. Here's what one looked like halfway through the process:



I took these into work and they were gone in no time. They took a bit of work and definitely some planning, but I would most definitely make them again.



Please check back soon for Shirlie's take on Danish Bread.

Recipe follows after the jump.




DANISH DOUGH

Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough

Ingredients
For the dough (Detrempe)
1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
2 large eggs, chilled
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

For the butter block (Beurrage)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

DOUGH
Combine yeast and milk in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed. Slowly add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice. Mix well. Change to the dough hook and add the salt with the flour, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth. You may need to add a little more flour if it is sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Without a standing mixer: Combine yeast and milk in a bowl with a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk. Add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice and mix well. Sift flour and salt on your working surface and make a fountain. Make sure that the “walls” of your fountain are thick and even. Pour the liquid in the middle of the fountain. With your fingertips, mix the liquid and the flour starting from the middle of the fountain, slowly working towards the edges. When the ingredients have been incorporated start kneading the dough with the heel of your hands until it becomes smooth and easy to work with, around 5 to 7 minutes. You might need to add more flour if the dough is sticky.

BUTTER BLOCK
1. Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature.
2. After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
4. Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.



DANISH BRAID
Makes enough for 2 large braids

Ingredients
1 recipe Danish Dough (see below)
2 cups apple filling, jam, or preserves (see below)

For the egg wash: 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk

1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.
2. Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.
3. Spoon the filling you’ve chosen to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.

Egg Wash
Whisk together the whole egg and yolk in a bowl and with a pastry brush, lightly coat the braid.

Proofing and Baking
1. Spray cooking oil (Pam…) onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch.
2. Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.
3. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown. Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature. The cooled braid can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month.

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Erin's #1 Tomato Recipe - Bruschetta

My absolute favorite appetizer during the summer is bruschetta. There is just nothing better than fresh tomatoes, garlic and basil on top of toasted bread. Actually, the bruschetta itself is great on top of any grilled meat or fish, in scrambled eggs for breakfast, or on top of a salad as a dressing. In fact, my garden consists mostly of tomato and basil plants so I can make as much bruschetta as I like without emptying my wallet on the store buying produce. My basil plants are doing great this year, but my tomatoes have about another 20-30 days before any fruit will be ready to pick.

So, I picked up a quart of tomatoes at the market and eagerly came home to throw this together. The recipe below is mine and the amounts are merely approximations. This is made so often at my house that I rarely measure it out. Which is great for everyone… If you like more garlic… put more in. If you don’t like vinegar… put in less. You get the idea.

One thing I never do it make this in the winter when the tomatoes in the store have been shipped thousands of miles and although they look nice, they are mealy and tasteless. Lucky for you I have posted this recipe at the start of tomato season, so you can make this many times for the months to come.



Bruschetta

3 tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup onion or shallot, minced
2 tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 tbs. olive oil
Sugar
Salt and Pepper
¼ cup basil, chiffonade or chopped

1 loaf good bread (French, ciabatta, etc.), sliced and toasted. (I usually toast my bread under the broiler or on the grill.)

1. Cut tomatoes in half, the gently squeeze them over the sink to get out most of the seeds and pulp. Cut tomatoes into a small dice. Should yield about 1 ½ cups. It is important to half a small dice because it will be easier to eat on top of the bread.

2. Toss tomatoes, garlic, onions, vinegar and oil in a bowl.

3. Sprinkle with about ½ teas sugar. (This helps cut the acid of the tomatoes.)

4. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in basil.

5. Serve over toasted bread.

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TWD: Mixed Berry Cobbler

This week's TWD recipe is Mixed Berry Cobbler, selected by Beth, of Our Sweet Life. This recipe is lightening fast to pull together and doesn't taste half bad, either. It's just not that special, unfortunately, which is a shame because Dorie's recipes are always spot on. But maybe it's me and not the recipe, because I've never been enamored with fruit desserts, though, which is a result of my upbringing. My parents are both big fruit eaters and every night after dinner, we'd share a big plate of whatever fruit was in season. It's so easy to put away fruit when it's been lovingly peeled, sliced, and diced by a mom, isn't it? I just learned to associate fruit with healthy, after-dinner snack. In my mind, if you're going to splurge calorically on dessert, might as well make it rich and sinful. Chocolate and cheesecake come to mind. Fruit desserts seem a bit too healthy to me. But don't get me wrong. I don't think I'm capable of turning up my nose at a single dessert out there. I like fruit desserts. It's just not a piece of chocolate cake, you know? I sense that I'm digging myself into a hole, so I'll just get on with my TWD outcome. Many TWD'ers posted that the topping is bland. I took their advice and tried to jazz it up, with the addition of 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon and swapped brown sugar for the suggested white sugar. I ended up with a topping which tasted pretty good, sort of like a buttery, flaky sugar cookie which complemented the berries beautifully. Since this recipe took 15 minutes to prep and only 25 minutes to bake, (I used 2 small ramekins & also quartered the recipe), I can't be too upset about the lack of wow!-factor with this dessert. It was a perfectly acceptable dessert and it's probably a good one to keep on hand if you're ever in a pinch and need to throw a dessert together quickly. Please visit Beth's blog, Our Sweet Life, for the full recipe. And, please visit TWD and click on the bloggers to see everyone's results! Thanks! Next week's TWD: Apple-Cheddar Scones

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Guest Blogger from Malawi

Smell the Basil would like to introduce a guest blogger that will post occasionally on the site. Alicia is my sister and she is currently a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi, Africa. She is a food lover just like me and is learning how to cook in Malawi will limited ingredients, cooking utensils and no refrigeration.

Alicia has her own site Chichewa Chit Chat where you can learn all about her experiences in Africa. However, she would love to include her food stories here on Smell the Basil. If you have any questions for her please put them in the comment section and I will be sure to ask her next time I talk to her. Enjoy the insight into cooking from the other side of the world!

Skillet Pita Bread

In my village there is no bread. I could bike a long way to get it, but it doesn’t really seem worth it for stale, white sandwich bread. So I decided to make bread in my skillet since I don’t have an oven. The recipe is your standard pita recipe, but cooked in a screaming hot skillet! Who knew you didn’t have to heat up an oven every time you want bread!
½ tsp yeast
1/3 cup warm water
½ tsp. salt
1 T. Honey
1 cup flour
Mix warm water, yeast, and honey. Let stand 5 minutes until bubbles form. Add salt, flour and knead for 10 minutes. Form into a ball, coat boat and dough in a little bit of oil. Allow to rise in a warm place (covered with a damp towel) for 1 ½ hours. Divide dough into 4 equal sections and knead each section for a few minutes. Roll into 6 inch pita rounds. Place in a very hot, dry skillet for 1 ½-2 minutes on each side.


Falafel Mix

In the village protein is hard to come by. Between powdered milk, peanuts, oatmeal, and beans I do just fine. But cooking beans everyday takes a lot of planning and a lot of fuel. So I developed a way that I could have beans on the fly, even when I forgot to soak them overnight or I’m not home during the day to watch the pot.
1 ½ cup dried chickpeas
2 T. sesame seeds or tahini
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 small onion, diced
10 dried mustard leaves or 2 T. dried parsley
3 garlic cloves
1 egg
Flour or cornmeal
Soak chickpeas overnight. Bring chickpeas to a boil and cook until just soft, about 45 minutes. Mash peas, sesame seeds, cumin, salt, and dried mustard leaves in a mortar and pestle (mtunda in Chichewa) until it is an even consistency (if your are super special and have electricity you could use a food processor). Place in the sun until completely dry. At this point the mix can be stored in an airtight container. When you are ready to have Falafel burgers, for each ½ cup of mix soak in hot water until all the liquid has been absorbed. Start with ¼ cup and add water as necessary. Add diced onion, garlic, and beaten egg. Roll into golf ball sized balls/patties, coat in flour/cornmeal, and panfry until brown and crisp. Makes 6 golf ball sized patties for each ½ cup of mix. Serve on pita bread with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, and yogurt sauce.

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Mushroom & Shallot Quiche for Gabby's First Playdate

My daughter, Gabby, is 9 months old now. She's ready for playdates, and I hosted my first playdate at home the other day. I had another mom over who has a son who is a few weeks younger than Gabby. It was such fun to watch them play together. I made my favorite quiche for my friend and it was perfect with a bit of salad alongside. This quiche is from Dorie Greenspan, featured in the October 2006's Bon Appetit. I love Ms. Greenspan's crust, but I've changed up the filling ingredients a bit. I've posted her recipe as seen in the magazine, and in parentheses are my changes. Quiche should be served warm or at room temperature, but I always love how the leftovers taste directly out of the fridge. Recipe follows after the jump.









Mushroom and Shallot Quiche
Dorie Greenspan, Bon Appetit, October 2006


Crust
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large egg
1 teaspoon cold water

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Filling
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup chopped shallots (about 2 medium)
1/2 pound mushrooms, cut into 1/4-inch slices (I use baby bellas or white button)
5 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, divided (I usually omit this, as well)

3/4 cup whipping cream (I use 1 full cup of whole milk instead)
2 large eggs (I increase eggs to 3 large eggs)
Pinch of salt
Pinch of ground black pepper
2 green onions (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced
2 tablespoons finely grated Gruyère cheese
(I also add 1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg)

Preparation
For crust: Blend flour, salt, and sugar in processor. Add butter; using on/off turns, process until coarse meal forms. Whisk 1 egg and 1 teaspoon cold water in small bowl; add to flour mixture. Using on/off turns, process just until moist clumps form. Transfer to work surface and knead gently until dough comes together, about 4 turns. Form into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill 1 hour. Do ahead: Dough can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.

Butter 9 1/2-inch round fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer dough to pan, pressing onto bottom and up sides of pan; trim any excess dough. Chill 1 hour. (I've skipped this step on occasion & just put the crust directly into the oven, however... I've read that a super cold crust turns much flakier and tastier than a room temperature crust does in the oven).

Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter large square of foil and press, butter side down, onto crust. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and weights. Using fork, pierce bottom of crust all over (about 10 times). Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Brush lightly with egg white. Cool. Do ahead: Can be baked 6 hours ahead. (I've left it overnight and it's been just fine). Let stand at room temperature.

For filling:
Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shallots; sauté until soft, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Increase heat to high and sauté until liquid is absorbed and mushrooms are tender, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with 2 1/2 teaspoons thyme and cook 1 minute. Transfer mixture to plate. Cool mushrooms completely.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place cooled crust in pan on baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons thyme. Drain mushrooms, if needed. Scatter mushrooms over thyme. Whisk cream, eggs, salt, and pepper in medium bowl. Pour egg mixture over mushrooms. Sprinkle with green onions and cheese.

Bake quiche until custard is set, about 25 minutes. Cool 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Spinach and Onion Dip

Eddie and I love to entertain – especially in the summer. So, I am always looking for quick and easy appetizers that I can put together for an unexpected dinner party. Flipping through a recent issue of Martha Stewart I can across a creamy spinach and onion dip. It looked delicious, but called for a few things that I rarely have in my kitchen – watercress and avocado. However, I liked the concept –a little cooking on the stovetop, the puree everything in the blender. So, I decided to create my own dip using ingredients that I normally have. It turned out really well. It is super nutritious – full of fresh spinach and yogurt. I used plain low-fat yogurt that was in my fridge. In the future I would prefer to use plain Greek yogurt to make the dip a little thicker. This is sure to make an appearance many times this summer when something refreshing is needed to combat the summer heat. Enjoy!

Spinach and Onion Dip

2 tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
10 oz. fresh spinach (Add more if you like)
1 c. plain yogurt
1 tbs. lemon zest
2 teas. fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper

1. Heat olive oil in large skillet.
2. Sauté onions until translucent (6-8 minutes).
3. Add garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute.
4. Add spinach to skillet and cook until spinach is wilted and most of the water that is released has evaporated.
5. Dump spinach mix into food processor. Add yogurt, lemon zest and lemon juice. Process until smooth.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Place in refrigerator for at least one hour to set up.
8. Serve with veggies, pita chips of crackers.

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TWD: La Palette Strawberry Tart

Marie of A Year From Oak Cottage has selected La Palette Strawberry Tart, page 374, From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan for this week's TWD recipe. After making this recipe, I realized something about Ms. Greenspan's sweet tart dough. It can do no wrong. I could fill it with brussel sprouts and lingonberry jam from IKEA and I could still put a few slices away, no problem. I know I shouldn't knock IKEA, after all, IKEA's "as-is" room has furnished many an apartment in my past. I guess it's just the fact that a furniture & household goods store would sell perishables such as preserves and meatballs which cause me a certain amount of cognitive dissonance. But I'm working through that, because the last time I visited IKEA, I couldn't stop drooling over the beautiful granite countertops. Anyhow, this recipe involves fully baking her sweet tart dough and then filling the cooled crust with strawberry preserves and fresh strawberries. A twist of ground black pepper and creme fraiche, and voila! A simple and rustic dessert is yours. I halved the recipe and made 2 small tartlets, and used balsamic vinegar-doused strawberries in one and kiwi and blueberry with blueberry preserves for the second tart. Verdict: The strawberry tart was good, nothing to write home about, though, unfortunately, but it did have one saving grace. The real star was the buttery, just sweet enough crust. The blueberry-kiwi tart, on the other hand, was outstanding. The sweetness of the berries and the tartness of the kiwi was evenly matched by Dorie's delicious crust. I would definitely make this recipe again, using blueberries and kiwi.



The full recipe can be found in Dorie Greenspan's book, "From My Home To Yours." Please visit the other TWD bakers to see their lovely creations. Thanks, Marie, for choosing a terrific recipe!

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My Mother's Day Cake: Jaime's Coconut Cake

I know we nearly have Father's Day upon us and I'm just now getting around to telling you about my mother's day surprise cake, painstakingly made by my husband. David toiled away, carefully following Jaime's Coconut Cake recipe and ended up with this beautiful, coconut covered cake. I kept pestering my husband about his recipe choice. Paula Deen's son? Was he a closet fan of the Deen Family, right under my unsuspecting nose? Even though David covets her kitchen (who doesn't?), he frequently makes fun of Paula Deen, mostly utilizing predictable jokes about her penchant for butter and sour cream. I just couldn't comprehend why he selected a Deen family favorite to bake me for mother's day this year. He says he typed in "cake" on the foodtv search function and randomly selected a cake on the second page of entries. Whatever. This cake was really good, actually. It was a lot of effort, (he tells me) but it was beautiful and delicious, as well. It was a bit dense, but the vanilla based crumb pairs nicely with the sugary frosting. It tasted even better the next day, after a night's rest in the refrigerator. The frosting got nice and crunchy, which is my favorite. Thanks, David, for making my first mother's day one to remember. Full recipe after the jump.





Coconut Cake
Courtesy of Paula Deen

For Cake:
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups sifted self-rising flour
1 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Filling:
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut

7-Minute Frosting:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar or 1 tablespoon white corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water
2 egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 to 3 cups flaked sweetened coconut
Artificial holly, optional garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans.

Using an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar and continue to cream well for 6 to 8 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and coconut milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and continue to beat until just mixed.

Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Level batter in each pan by holding pan 3 or 4-inches above counter, then dropping it flat onto counter. Do this several times to release air bubbles and assure you of a more level cake.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Cool in pans 5 to 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto cooling racks.

Filling:

Stir together sugar, sour cream, milk, and coconut in a bowl until well blended. Place the first cake layer onto pedestal. Using the wrong end of a wooden spoon, poke holes approximately 1-inch apart until entire cake has been poked. Spread a third of filling mixture on cake layer. Top with second layer, repeat process. Top with last layer and repeat process again.

Cook's Note: As each layer is stacked, stick them with toothpicks to prevent cake from shifting.

Frosting:

Place sugar, cream of tartar or corn syrup, salt, water, and egg whites in the top of a double boiler. Beat with a handheld electric mixer for 1 minute. Place pan over boiling water, being sure that boiling water does not touch the bottom of the top pan. Beat constantly on high speed with electric mixer for 7 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Frost the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle top and sides of cake with coconut. Garnish with artificial holly, if desired.And here is the rest of it.

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TWD- French Chocolate Brownies - Shirlie's Take

This week’s TWD recipe is French Chocolate Brownies. Holy cow, the ease of which these came together belies the decadence! I had it in my mind that there are two basic types of brownies. Those that come from a box, and Ina Garten’s. All other recipes I’ve tried fall squarely into the former camp, i.e. they taste similar to box brownies, maybe a notch or two above. I know I might be speaking sacrilege here, but hear me out. One afternoon, my husband and I caught the Barefoot Contessa’s Outrgeous Brownie episode. We quickly got to work duplicating her recipe and these became our very favorite and most treasured brownie recipe. But the work involved! We like to joke that only Ina can pull it off because she gets to hang out in her gourmet kitchen all day, entertaining her florist and/or her architect. Anyhow, I’ve tried other brownie recipes over the years, but thus far, I’ve always acknowledged that Ina sets the bar with her Outrageous Brownie Recipe. Fast forward to this week’s TWD. Di of Di’s Kitchen Notebook selected Dorie’s French Chocolate Brownies. This recipe is really easy, the only odd thing about it is the flambéed raisins, which soak up some nice, dark rum. I like raisins OK, but not as much as I love prunes! So, I plumped up the prunes in water, and soaked them in dark rum, ignited it all, and used those prune pieces in the brownie recipe. These French Chocolate Brownies were awesome. Dark chocolate (70% bittersweet), fudgy and with a crackly top, these were the perfect foil to vanilla ice cream. Sometimes I wonder if I just use baked goods as my vehicle so I can shovel ice cream into my mouth, but those thoughts should probably be saved for another post. At any rate, my family tried them and really enjoyed these brownies, remarking that the prunes gave the brownie an unusual tartness in occasional bites. I proclaimed these brownies perfect and would like to state for the record that Ina Garten’s Outrageous Brownies should look out because there’s a new brownie in town.


French Chocolate Brownies
- makes 16 brownies -
Adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours.

Ingredients
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1/3 cup raisins, dark or golden
1 1/2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons; 6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into 12 pieces
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 300°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, butter the foil, place the pan on a baking sheet, and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, salt and cinnamon, if you're using it.

Put the raisins in a small saucepan with the water, bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until the water almost evaporates. Add the rum, let it warm for about 30 seconds, turn off the heat, stand back and ignite the rum. Allow the flames to die down, and set the raisins aside until needed.

Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Slowly and gently melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and add the butter, stirring so that it melts. It's important that the chocolate and butter not get very hot. However, if the butter is not melting, you can put the bowl back over the still-hot water for a minute. If you've got a couple of little bits of unmelted butter, leave them—it's better to have a few bits than to overheat the whole. Set the chocolate aside for the moment.

Working with a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until they are thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Lower the mixer speed and pour in the chocolate-butter, mixing only until it is incorporated—you'll have a thick, creamy batter. Add the dry ingredients and mix at low speed for about 30 seconds—the dry ingredients won't be completely incorporated and that's fine. Finish folding in the dry ingredients by hand with a rubber spatula, then fold in the raisins along with any liquid remaining in the pan.

Scrape the batter into the pan and bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top is dry and crackled and a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and allow the brownies to cool to warm or room temperature.

Carefully lift the brownies out of the pan, using the foil edges as handles, and transfer to a cutting board. With a long-bladed knife, cut the brownies into 16 squares, each roughly 2 inches on a side, taking care not to cut through the foil.

Serving: The brownies are good just warm or at room temperature; they're even fine cold. I like these with a little something on top or alongside—good go-alongs are whipped crème fraiche or whipped cream, ice cream or chocolate sauce or even all three!

Storing: Wrapped well, these can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

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TWD - French Chocolate Brownies -- Erin's Take

BROWNIES! I do not have a sweet tooth… except when it comes to brownies. My favorite dessert is a brownie sundae. If fact, at my wedding I requested brownie sundae’s in addition to the wedding cake. (And, by the way, they were a huge hit.) Brownies just bring back some wonderful memories. Growing up my friends used to come over all the time to play board games and watch movies. My parents, being as wonderful as they are, always welcomed everyone into our house, never minded how late they stayed, and never came downstairs to tell us to quite down when we were involved in a very competitive game of monopoly.

(As a side note, I am an extremely competitive board game player. In fact, over one game of monopoly my best friend Jenn and I got into an argument and didn’t talk to each other for over a week. For the life of me I can’t imagine what in the heck what monopoly move would cause us to not talk for a week. Although as I type this I think it might have involved her colluding with our friend Matt on how to screw me over some property).

Anyways… usually sometime during those long nights of board games my mom would always make a batch of fresh brownies for us to munch on … and always sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar. I am almost 30 years old and my friends and I still reminisce over board game nights with my mom’s brownies. When I have kids I imagine doing the same thing for them and their friends hoping that they will carry the same memories with them as they grow up.

As I was saying… this week’s Tuesday’s with Dorie’s recipe was French Chocolate Brownies. So of course, given my love of brownies, I had to make these. I made a few changes to suit my preferences. First, some fellow bakers mentioned that beating the eggs and sugar together for a long time will give the brownies a cake-like consistency. As far as I am concerned, cake-like brownies should be a federal offense. There is just no excuse for ruining such a wonderful combination of sugar, eggs, and chocolate by making it into a cake. So, instead of beating the eggs and sugar together for 2 minutes as the recipe called for I reduced it to 1 minute. Next, I do not like raisins. They are gross. So, I left them out, as well as the rum. Last, I didn’t have bittersweet chocolate so I substituted 4 ounces of semi-sweet and 2 ounces of unsweetened chocolate.

The brownies baked for exactly 55 minutes, and then cool completely in the pan.

The result was pure heaven. Chocolaty, fudging awesomeness! Often people ask me if it is worth making brownies from scratch when a box mix can be put together in a fraction of the time. After this recipe the answer is a resounding yes. In fact, I may have to keep a steady supply of chocolate in the pantry so I can make them whenever the urge presents itself.

I took the batch to a friend’s house for dessert. Served them with vanilla ice cream and a fresh rhubarb sauce. In fact, I have been eating these for three days straight with the remaining brownies 

Please check out how my fellow TWD Baker’s succeeded with their brownies quest.




French Chocolate Brownies
- makes 16 brownies – (I cut mine into 9 large brownies)
Adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours.

Ingredients
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1/3 cup raisins, dark or golden (I left this out)
1 1/2 tablespoons water (Left this out)
1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum (Left this out too)
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons; 6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into 12 pieces
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 300°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, butter the foil, place the pan on a baking sheet, and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, salt and cinnamon, if you're using it.

Put the raisins in a small saucepan with the water, bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until the water almost evaporates. Add the rum, let it warm for about 30 seconds, turn off the heat, stand back and ignite the rum. Allow the flames to die down, and set the raisins aside until needed.

Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Slowly and gently melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and add the butter, stirring so that it melts. It's important that the chocolate and butter not get very hot. However, if the butter is not melting, you can put the bowl back over the still-hot water for a minute. If you've got a couple of little bits of unmelted butter, leave them—it's better to have a few bits than to overheat the whole. Set the chocolate aside for the moment.

Working with a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until they are thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Lower the mixer speed and pour in the chocolate-butter, mixing only until it is incorporated—you'll have a thick, creamy batter. Add the dry ingredients and mix at low speed for about 30 seconds—the dry ingredients won't be completely incorporated and that's fine. Finish folding in the dry ingredients by hand with a rubber spatula, then fold in the raisins along with any liquid remaining in the pan.

Scrape the batter into the pan and bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top is dry and crackled and a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and allow the brownies to cool to warm or room temperature.

Carefully lift the brownies out of the pan, using the foil edges as handles, and transfer to a cutting board. With a long-bladed knife, cut the brownies into 16 squares, each roughly 2 inches on a side, taking care not to cut through the foil.

Storing: Wrapped well, these can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

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