ScarlettChocolate and Prune Brownies
August 7th 2008 06:26
About Chocolate Brownies
A chocolate brownie, also known as a brownie or a Boston brownie, is a small, rich, chocolate baked cake-slice, named after its brown colour.
The name "brownie" first appeared in the 1896 Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, where it describes molasses cakes baked in small tins. The origin of the Brownie is thought to be American and is thought to derive its name from the color of the cookie. Folklore has its origin coming from a careless cook that forgot to put baking powder in the ugly cake batter recipe and accidentally put in baking soda. Another story reports that the brownie was invented at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago during the 1892 Columbian Exposition. Bertha Palmer requested a dessert to put in box lunches for ladies that would not get their hands dirty.
Brownies are slightly crisp on the outside but soft, damp and squidgy within.
About Armagnac
Armagnac is a distinctive kind of brandy or eau de vie, made of mainly the same grapes as cognac and undergoing the same aging in oak barrels, but mainly with column still distillation (cognac and part of armagnac is distilled in pot stills). Armagnac production is overseen by INAO and the Bureau National Interprofessionel de l'Armagnac (BNIA).
Armagnac is one of two rivals for cognac wine recognition as the finest producer of eau de vie (brandy) in the world. Its name comes from the Armagnac region of France where it originates.
Its quantity of production is significantly lower than that of the Cognac region; for every six bottles of Armagnac sold around the world there are one hundred bottles of cognac sold.
Armagnac has been making brandy for around 200 years longer than Cognac.
INGREDIENTS
Makes 15
50 gm / 2 oz dark chocolate with 70-75% cocoa solids, broken into pieces
50 gm / 2 oz pitted Agen prunes, chopped and soaked overnight in 55 ml / 2 fl oz Armagnac
50 gm / 2 oz almonds, skin on
110 gm / 4 oz butter
2 large eggs, beaten
225 gm / 8 oz demerara sugar
50 gm / 2 oz plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1. The day before you are going to make the brownies by soaking the chopped prunes in the Armagnac overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 180ºC / 350ºF. Lightly grease a 15 X 25.5 cm / 6 X 10 inches, and 2.5 cm / 1 inch deep non-stick baking tin, and lined with baking parchment, allowing the paper to come 2.5 cm / 1 inch above the tin.
3. Chop the almonds roughly, place them on a baking sheet.
4. Using a timer, toast all the almonds in the pre-heated oven for 8 minutes exactly.
5. Meanwhile, put the chocolate and butter together in a heatproof bowl fitted over a saucepan of barely simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
6. Allow the chocolate to melt, about 4-5 minutes.
7. Remove from the heat, then beat till smooth.
8. Stir in the other ingredients, including the prunes and Armagnac, until well blended.
9. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared tin.
10. Bake on the centre shelf of the oven for 30 minutes or until it’s slightly springy in the centre.
11. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before placing on a sheet of baking parchment on a wire rack.
12. Cut into roughly 15 squares.
**From “The Delia Collection Chocolate” and “Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia”[B]**
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