The Brownie Persuasion
Sandro Botticelli
La Primavera, 1482
Uffizi Gallery, Florence
After my trip to New York, I felt inspired to tackle the world of gluten free brownies. My particular favorite version is super moist with a chewy edge and a distinct crunch when your mouth penetrates the holy, superficially cracked outer layer. With a little luck and guidance from Nick Malgieri’s recipe from his book “Chocolate: From Simple Cookies to Extravagant Showstoppers,” Morrow Cookbooks, 1998, I was successful in my quest.
Although many prefer their brownies with walnuts, or if you’re from Texas, pecans, I just like my brownies to be all about the chocolate. Boring to some, but perfection for me, brownie preference is a very delicate, very precise desire that divides people like a junior high school dance. Nuts on the left, no nuts on the right (no pun intended) and an abyss of tension, anticipation and longing hovering in the air between the two groups. Roving eyes lusting after the group opposite with little internal narratives of “ask me, please ask me, come to me…” are spinning on all the little record players rotating behind each pair of eyes in the room. It’s the dance before the dance. Is it, therefore, not at all surprising that chocolate stimulates the same pleasure centers in the brain the same way sex does. So get your sexy on with these mind boggling Cosmic Brownies.
A pile of Cosmic Brownies being guarded by my “Bearded Man in a Tall Hat,” by Il Guercino, ca. 1630-1640. Pen and ink.
2 Sticks (16 Tablespoons) Unsalted Butter, diced + more for pan and parchment paper
8 Ounces Bittersweet Chocolate, at least 70% cocoa content, chopped
4 Eggs
½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Teaspoons Mexican Vanilla
½ Cup Tapioca Flour
½ Cup Sweet Sorghum Flour
¾ Cup Whole Walnuts or Texas Pecans carefully pressed onto the surface before baking or ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans. Optional.
Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 13 x 9” brownie pan with the additional butter. Cut the parchment paper to fit the bottom of your pan and then press into the butter, flip over and again press into the butter. This is far easier way to grease your parchment paper and you end up using a lot less butter as a result. Set your pan aside.
A tempting close up…
In a double boiler, melt the butter and chocolate over simmering water, stirring occasionally. Once the chocolate is completely melted, remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. While letting the chocolate mixture to cool, whip the eggs, sugars, salt and vanilla until fluffy. Pour the chocolate into the eggs and sugar in a thin stream until completely incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the flours and mix until the dough feels thick. If you are using chopped nuts, stir them in now.
Pour into your prepared pan and smooth out with an offset spatula. Now carefully arrange either your walnuts or pecans in the center of each piece that will be cut after baking. Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes. The brownies are done when the top is shinny and cracked as if a piece of carelessly moved marble.
Makes About 15 Large Brownies.
Helmut Newton
Villa d’Este, Lake Como, Italy, 1975
Private Collection
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Lindsey
