Recipe: Most Spectacular Chocolate and Espresso Brownies

Chocolate Espresso Brownies

Brownies of course are one of those topics that cleave the population along multiple dimensions. Cakey or fudgy? Love the middle or the edges? Celtics or Lakers? Nuts or no nuts?

For me, I like more of a cakey brownie, but it has to be very moist and dense cake. Middle. Celtics!!! I like nuts, but we live in a nut-allergy family, so none in these.

I've been searching awhile for a recipe that really captured those qualities and packs a seriously chocolaty punch, one that satisfies a guy who will down a whole bar of 72% dark chocolate like it was a potato chip.

Now I'm not a huge Barefoot Contessa fan. Nothing against her, the recipes are solid but a bit obvious - nothing to make me really run and open the book often. But Sarina suggested that the Contessa might have a proper brownie recipe and boy was she right. The Outrageous Brownies are everything I was looking for. I don't think I'll ever try a different recipe again, this just hits it out of the park. And everyone I've fed them to agrees.

Needless to say I tweaked them out a bit to meet my own needs. The original recipe makes a 12x18 pan, but that is a lot for a small family, so I halved it to a 12x9 pan. Then I omitted the walnuts, doubled the salt, upgraded the chocolate, and simplified to use one less bowl.

I also replaced the instant coffee with instant espresso. I've always been loyal to the Medaglia D'Oro brand, which I used to drink 20 years ago at 4 AM, sneaking off between the first two sessions of meditation practice, when there wasn't enough time to make a real pot. Now I'd never drink it, but it actually tastes pretty great in baked goods.

I sprinkled half of the chocolate chips over the top of the batter instead of mixing them in, which gives you these incredible creamy-chocolate rivers on the surface.

Hmm.... I guess that means I pretty well made the recipe my own, but with many props to Ina Garten. And she got hers from William Morrow's  SoHo Charcuterie Cookbook. So it just goes to show you how recipes evolve over time. I hope you'll change them to your own heart's desire.

(By the way, Herbivoracious had it's 100,000th page view today. Thanks to all of you for your support, comments, feedback and encouragement. I've been having a great time with this!)

Most Spectacular Chocolate and Coffee Brownies
Makes at least 10 large brownies or 18 more moderate ones.
Vegetarian; not vegan or gluten-free

• 1/2 lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 12 oz. (1 bag) Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 4 oz. best-quality unsweetened chocolate, chopped (Scharffen-Berger is awesome for this)
• 4 large eggs
• 5 t. instant espresso (Medaglia D'Oro is good)
• 1 T. vanilla extract
• 1 c. + 2 T. sugar
• 1/2 c. + 2 T. all-purpose flour
• 1.5 t. baking powder
• 1 t. flaky sea salt (Maldon!)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Butter and flour a 12x9 pan, at least 1" deep.
3. Melt the butter, half of the chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate in a double boiler or microwave (being careful to stir occasionally so it doesn't explode in your wave), then allow it to coll a bit.
4. In another bowl, beat together the eggs, coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the chocolate mixture, drizzling in slowly so you dont' cook the eggs.
5. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. (If any of the salt doesn't go through the sieve, add it in and stir). Add to the chocolate mixture and mix but don't over-beat.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
7. Evenly distribute the remaining half of the chocolate chips over the surface.
8. Bake for 20 minutes. Give the pan a rap to force out bubbles. Bake for 5-10 minutes more, until a toothpick comes out clean. Don't overbake! Allow to cool slightly. Don't eat them all at once. Unless you want to.

Variation: In another bowl, melt 3/4 c. white chocolate and mix in 3/4 c. cream cheese. Swirl the mixture through the chocolate before sprinkling on the chips at step 7.

Recipe: Syrian Vegetarian Red Lentil Soup (Shurbat Addes)

Syrian Red Lentil Soup (Shurbat Addes)

This recipe, and the next couple that I post, are adapted from Poopa Dweck's spectacular cookbook, Aromas of Aleppo, The Legendary Cuisine of Syrian Jews.

Aleppo was home to a major Jewish population from the time of the Babylonian exile (600 BCE). They experienced golden ages under the Byzantines and Ottomans, and remained there until the horrendous pogroms of 1947. Their Aleppo Codex is the oldest surviving document of the Old Testament other than the Dead Sea Scrolls, and resides at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Much of the Aleppan community has resettled in New Jersey. Aleppan Jewish cuisine contains elements similar to those found in the other Sepharic cultures, with strong Middle Eastern and Levantine flavors.

I tend to favor cookbooks that have a particularly strong individual point of view, and Aromas has that in spades. Dweck's book reminds me of those wonderful church, mosque or synagogue cookbooks that every immigrant congregation seems to put together after the first generation is well established, to ensure that their kids can carry on the traditions. Only this one somehow got printed in a gorgeous coffee-table sized hardback with world class photography and an outstanding historical introduction. If you like to cook with Middle Eastern flavors, it deserves a proud place on your shelf.

This particular soup is awfully easy to do. Basically you  just boil red lentils until they puree themselves, add a seasoning sautee and a quick garnish. I prefer to make it a little bit thinner than Dweck's version, so that it serves as a relatively light first course, but it also works in a larger and thicker portion as the main dish of a simple meal.

Ingredient notes

Red lentils are available at any natural food or health food store; do not substitute brown/green/black/french lentils. Aleppo pepper is a red pepper that is specific to Syrian food, and is quite hard to find in the US. One source is ChefShop.com. Instead of the cumin and Aleppo pepper, another great garnish alternative is dukka, a spice blend from Egypt that is available from World Spice Merchants.

Syrian Red Lentil Soup (Shurbat Addes)
Vegetarian and Vegan
Yields 8 cups, enough for 8 appetizer servings or 4 main course servings

• 2 c. red lentils (see note above)
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 t. coriander seed
• 1 T. kosher salt
• 2 T. olive oil
• Garnish: fresh cilantro, ground cumin, Aleppo pepper (see note above) or chili flakes, lemon wedges

1. Rinse the lentils, pick them over for stones or other miscellaneous material, and bring them to a boil with 2 quarts of water. Lower to a simmer. Stir occasionally to make sure they aren't sticking in a large lump on the bottom, otherwise they may scorch. Simmer for about 40 minutes, until they have dissolved into a puree.
2. While the lentils are cooking, grind the garlic, coriander seed and salt in a mortar and pestle or a small food processor into a coarse paste. Fry this paste in the olive oil for about 1 minute, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add to the soup and let simmer a bit longer.
3. Taste and adjust first for texture first (by adding water). I like it moderately thin, but thick is good too. Then add salt as needed to make it flavorful.
4. Serve in individual cups garnished with a sprig of cilantro and a pinch of the cumin and pepper, and a lemon wedge on the side.

Recipe: Chana Chaat in a Papadum Bowl

Chana Chaat in a Papadum Bowl

Chaat (or chat) is a whole family of delicious Indian snacks, served either as street food or in shops that specialize in these treats. and generally cold or at room temperature. They aren't very popular in America, but you can sometimes find a few items on a menu, especially at a South Indian restaurant.

I believe Udupi Palace in Bellevue, WA has Pani Puri, which is one of the all time great chaat items, though I don't see it on the online menu. Those of you lucky enough to live in the Bay Area can visit the legendary Vik Distributors in Berkeley, where you can load up on Indian groceries and have some of the best chaat snacks in the country. When I got a chance to travel to India, my coworkers Delhi Treats and Ayusman, among others, took me to some of the best chaat places in Delhi and I think I left my heart there, or at least my palate.

If you know of a great chaat emporium elsewhere, please add a comment below!

Anyhow, I was longing for those flavors, and I had the idea to see if I could do a slightly upscale presentation. The main trick here was to make a bowl out of a papadum. All you have to do is cut a pie shaped wedge and put it on top of a ramekin, then toast it in the toaster oven and carefully press down on it until it forms a partial bowl. I topped that with spicy chickpeas, yogurt and cilantro, and on the plate we've got a bit of tamarind gel and slices of crystallized ginger. Here's the recipe:

Chana Chaat in a Papadum Bowl
Serves 4
Vegetarian, vegan if you skip the yogurt

• 2 T. tamarind concentrate
• 2 T. boiling water
• 1 t. agar-agar powder
• 2 t. sugar
• 1 black pepper (or other flavor) papadum, cut into 4 wedges
• 2 c. cooked and cooled (or opened, rinsed, and drained) chickpeas
• 2 T. chaat masala (or mix your own)
• 1/2 c. high quality yogurt
• 1 t. mild chili powder
• sprigs of cilantro
• 4 pieces of crystallized ginger, sliced thin

1. Stir together the tamarind concentrate, boiling water, agar-agar powder, and sugar. Taste and add more sugar if needed. Cool in refrigerator. When gelled, whisk vigorously to make a viscous liquid.
2. Working one piece at a time, put a papadum on top of a small ramekin and place in a toaster oven. Toast for a few minutes until golden brown and blistering, occasionally and carefully applying slight pressure to form a bowl shape. Remove from oven and leave in ramekin for a few minutes to cool.
3. Mix chickpeas with the chaat masala. You could also add diced cucumbers, potatoes, or onions.
4. To serve, put a few drops of tamarind sauce on the plate with a medicine dropper, place a few slices of the ginger, add the papadum bowl and top with 1/4 of the chickpeas, 2 T. of yogurt, and a bit of the chili powder and cilantro.