Recipe of the Week
Glazed spiced mocha brownies
Courtesy of
Richard Blunt
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Ingredients
soft shortening
5 oz. bittersweet chocolate
6-1/2 oz. unsalted butter
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. powdered, instant espresso coffee
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup pecans, broken into large pieces
Ingredients for semisweet chocolate glaze:
4 oz. semisweet chocolate
2 oz. sweet butter
Method
Brownies:
Prepare a 12-inch square baking pan by coating sides and bottom with soft shortening. Place a piece of waxpaper, cut to fit, on bottom of pan. Coat wax paper with soft shortening, dust with flour, and shake off excess. Set prepared pan aside.
Place bittersweet chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat. When chocolate is melted, stir with a wire whisk until smooth and set aside to cool slightly.
Cream butter in large bowl of an electric mixer. Add salt, instant coffee, black pepper, nutmeg, vanilla extract, and brown sugar. Beat mixture until all of the ingredients are blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating mixture just enough to incorporate each egg. Scrape bowl with a rubber spatula after incorporating each egg.
With mixer on low speed, add melted chocolate, then flour to mixture. Stir using a rubber spatula to get mixture away from sides, then continue mixing, at low speed with the electric mixer, until all ingredients are incorporated.
Remove bowl from mixer and stir in nuts, using a wooden spoon.
Turn mixture into pan, smooth the top, and bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into middle of brownie comes out slightly moist. It is critical not to overbake this brownie. Doing so will give it a dry crumbly texture.
Remove brownie from oven and let cool in pan for 30 minutes. Place a cake rack over the pan and invert pan and rack together. Remove pan and peel off wax paper. Turn brownie right side up by placing another cake rack over it and inverting once again.
Glaze:
Combine semisweet chocolate pieces with butter in small double boiler over medium heat. When chocolate is melted, stir mixture with a wire whisk until smooth.
Remove chocolate from heat and set in refrigerator to cool. Stir occasionally until it is thick enough to spread without running down the sides of the brownie.
Spread the glaze on the brownie with a narrow-blade spatula, and place the brownie in the refrigerator until the glaze is set.
