I've been on some strange dates in my time. I think the one that takes the cake, however, was the evening I found myself sitting in an unpainted warehouse in a questionable neighborhood of my hometown.
Railroad tracks out behind the building.
A myriad of POW/MIA-logo-emblazoned motorcycles parked out front among the smashed bottles.
And a very sweet boyfriend {now husband} at my side as I attended a Narcotics Anonymous meeting.
Chill out...it was for a community health rotation in nurs!ng school.
While my demons differ from most of the folks in attendance on that spring evening, I still have a confession to make:
Hi. My name's Katharina. The fam calls me Katie.
And it's been 18 minutes since my last hit of chocolate.
Our recent cooking adventure all started with an innocent trip to the grocery store. The current issue of a certain
awesome cooking publication beckoned from the magazine section. I sidled up and held the bewitching glossy in my clammy hands, heart pounding. And when I saw the cover's proclamation that
the penultimate brownie recipe lay within, I was brought to my knees in wanton chocolate lust.
The editor must have someone on the inside...these people are professionals, going straight for the jugular. My partner in crime {a.k.a. El Husband} was as bewitched as I with the promise of baked-good nirvana, so we slipped the coveted April issue into our cart and whisked it home to plan our next hit.
Soooo, the spoils of our recent quest won't shock anyone. Three separate grocery store treks and eleventy-something dollars spent to track down cacao celebrities like Callebaut, Valrhona, and Scharffen Berger. {Because all the big-wig recipes tell you "to use the very best chocolate you can possibly obtain." Because we like to go big or go home. And because I desperately wanted to try the schmancy stuff before I die.}
Just to up the ante, somewhere along the line I made the decision that this baking experience needed to turn into the ultimate brownie throwdown. A certain Sunday afternoon found me up to my eyeballs in my stash, preparing to pit the Cook's Illustrated "Chewy Brownies" recipe {April 2010 volume} against the Barefoot Contessa's "
Outrageous Brownies".
A little chocolate-chopping technique that I found helpful:
The kitchen wunderkinds behind Cook's Illustrated recommend using a serrated bread knife when faced with a block of chocolate. It made short work of the brick and broke it into fairly uniform, fine shards that melted oh-so-nicely. Sooo much better than whacking away with my chef's knife.
Don't you adore it when multiple formulations of dark chocolate come to fisticuffs? It's a win-win situation. When the flour settled, we found ourselves staring across a vast expanse of crackly-topped, dark-crumbed, melt-in-your-mouth goodness. Two pans full of it.
And then the time came to dispense our goods. A not-so-secret fact about the Husby and me: we hustle people into helping us deal with the products of our kitchen adventures. Yes, we are pushers of the sugar; that's how things roll around our place. The dialogue usually goes something like this:
Me: Hello, So-And-So. I called because I need a little help with something. A service project.
Unsuspecting Victim: Ummmmm...okay.
Me: I baked too much. Up to my eyeballs in treats. Think you can help us out?
You can probably imagine how the rest of it goes down. Yes, I am a shameless baking hussy. I'm not above bribing people to be my friends by using the wiles of kitchen tricks. Deal with it...you might be next.
Interestingly enough, the results of our little brownie bake-off ended in a draw. While I had visions of a clear winner, both recipes had their distinct merits. Neither we nor our hapless victims taste testers could decide which they liked better. {Later, Bart did declare a slight preference for the Cook's Illustrated version.} So we all just stuffed our faces and reached for our elastic-waist pants. Told you I was hooked. There should be support group meetings for things like this. {Yikes. I think there ARE meetings. Meetings called Weight Watchers.} Oooooh, I'll bring the treats!
Here's the breakdown of our throwdown...
Barefoot Contessa's Outrageous Brownies
- Surprisingly {to me, at least}, Ina Garten's recipe produces a brownie that is actually a bit tastier after being chilled, as opposed to straight-out-of-the-pan consumption. This always takes me off guard, as I do like fresh, warm, gooey goodness. {Maybe this recipe was intended for restaurant use and being served from a chill case?}
- I've made these brownies before, and this go-round was the first time I've ever used the called-for espresso granules. I realize it's supposed to deepen the flavor of the chocolate, but I thought it was just too bitter, too forceful, too much--it almost overshadowed the experience. The taste testers agreed that 3 Tablespoons is overkill. Granted, I'm not a coffee drinker and I did buy the cheap-o brew. Do what you like dear bakers, but I'll skip the burned beans next time.
- The texture is straight-up divine. Chocolate chunks are amazing in here...using the very highest quality chocolate I could get {Callebaut, 58% cacao} really did make a big difference.
- After the fact, Bart found that you can order the Big Three {Callebaut, Valrhona, and Sharffen Berger brand chocolate} from Amazon for less than we paid in the grocery and baking stores. C'est la vie. Save yourself some bucks.
- Go here to find the outrageousness. And have a big pan on hand to accommodate the big batch; my 12"w x 18"l x 2"h pan did a fine job.
- P.S. These freeze really well.
Cook's Illustrated Chewy Brownies
- America's Test Kitchen produced a brownie that was a bit less sweet; they called the flavor "grown up". I call it "extraordinary". It was a bit fruity, a bit nutty, and leaned toward the dark end of the chocolate spectrum.
- Again, REALLY good chocolate elevated this to a divine experience. {Callebaut 58% chunks with chopped unsweetened Sharffen Berger melted into the base.} Try to get your hands on some of the good stuff; save the Baker's and Hershey's brands for another project. Although I don't think it's quite on par with the big guys, Ghirardelli will do, too, and it can be found in most grocery stores.
- I love reading about the process that these recipe testers undertake. The particular kitchen ninja who developed this recipe baked hundreds of batches of brownies over several months before she landed on the right formulation of chewy texture and shiny-crackly surface. If you're into scientific process and the why of the recipes, then this publication is for you. Fascinating.
- Apparently, it's vital to let your brownies cool completely before cutting. That is news to me; I usually go for the instant gratification of diving straight into the pan when it comes out. This recipe recommended lining the pan with a foil sling and using it to remove the brownies. I've never tried this, but decided to go along for the ride. Warning: Get all the dang foil off your treats when they're finally cooled. Eager beaver here ingested about a postage-stamp's worth of foil before realizing that the texture was a little -- off. {Or maybe this is just a cautionary note to myself because you bright folks have already figured out the painfully obvious.}
- P.S. These also freeze beautifully. And unlike the Outrageous batch, they don't require a mondo-pan.
Chewy Brownies ~ From Cook's Illustrated, April 2010
1/3 cup Dutch processed cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso (optional)
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons boiling water
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (17 1/2 ounces) sugar
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon table salt
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line pan with foil, covering all sides and leaving excess to overhang pan edges. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Whisk cocoa, espresso powder (if using), and boiling water together in large bowl until smooth. Add unsweetened chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted. Whisk in melted butter and oil. (Mixture may look curdled). Add eggs, yolks, and vanilla and continue to whisk until smooth and homogeneous.
Whisk in sugar until fully incorporated. Add flour and salt and mix with rubber spatula until combined. Fold in bittersweet chocolate pieces.
3. Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted halfway between edge and center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30-35 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack and cool 1 1/2 hours. (If using a glass pan, cool brownies 10 minutes, then remove them from the pan to avoid overbaking.)
4. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan. Return brownies to wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.
