I'm back!--Rick Katz’s Brownies for Julia

Rick Katz’s Brownies for Julia
Baking From My Home To Yours Copyright 2006

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put a 9-inch square baking pan on a baking sheet. Pyrex was suggested so I used my 11x7-inch Pyrex.

Whisk the flour and salt together.

Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, put the butter in the bowl and top with the chopped chocolate. Stir frequently until the ingredients are just melted – you don’t want them to get so hot that the butter separates. I used the microwave on half power, stirring every few minutes until the butter and chocolate were melted and smooth. Add 1 cup of the sugar and whisk gently just to incorporate it, then remove the bowl from the pan of water. Stir in the vanilla and transfer the warm chocolate to a large bowl.

Put the remaining 1 cup of sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer or a medium bowl and, using a whisk, stir in the eggs. Switch to a rubber spatula and, little by little, add half of the sugar-egg mixture to the warm chocolate, stirring very gently but without stopping – you don’t want the heat of the chocolate to cook the eggs.

With the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the remaining sugar and eggs on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes, or until they double in volume. Using a spatula and a light touch, fold the whipped eggs into the chocolate mixture, stopping just short of blending them in completely. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the batter and delicately fold them in, working only until the disappear. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with the spatula.

Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until the top looks dry. I baked mine a bit longer (my pan was smaller). Poke a thin knife into the center and take a peek; the brownies should only be just set and still pretty gooey. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool to room temperature.

The brownies are fragile and best cut in the pan. Cut into 18 1 1/2x3-inch bars.
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I still have one more day off from my 'real' job but I couldn't stand to stay away from my blog for one more day. I will say that my time off has not been in vain. I've accomplished quite a bit in the past few days. Unfortunately, there is always more work left to do around the house, isn't there?

Yesterday I did take the day off to enjoy Memorial Day with my family and I brought these brownies along with me. I thought I had overbaked them. I get nervous when told to leave a baked good 'gooey' and I cooked these until there was just a bit of moist batter left on the tester but when I cut into them I couldn't imagine them being more perfect. Even the end pieces weren't overbaked, a problem I often encounter with brownies.

I made these in a Pyrex which I then just covered and took to the cookout. I think these are probably best served out of the pan like that because they're so fudgy that they're sort of messy to cut and handle. They can be cut and arranged on a platter if you're careful.

Do I have to tell you how intensely chocolate these were? Personally, I thought these were some of the best brownies I've ever made. Even my nephew who I almost never see eat, was eating these brownies.

Blast From The Past: Brownies from last August. That was King Arthur's recipe that I intially wasn't all that thrilled with but my guests scarfed them down.

Question of the Day: Did you miss me while I was 'gone'?