May 15 2011
What Would Alice Do?
One of my colleagues keeps hens (eleven of them); a fortunate result of this is that at this time of year, he has a bounty of eggs that he sells to those who ask. The hens enjoy an enviably bucolic life in a quaint village in the Hudson Valley and are free to roam around in the yard. Their diet consists of what they can dig up on their own and the natural feed given to them as well. In short, they are happy, healthy hens who produce delicious and beautiful eggs, as you can see for yourself:
Pretty & Tasty
The first thing I made with them was an omelette with sorrel, and I wish I had taken a picture of it to show you how beautiful it was, but we were all hungry and it disappeared before I had a chance to say ‘SONY’. Believe me when I tell you it was really worth it, and next time I make one of those, I won’t forget to point and shoot first.
The second thing I made (and for which I have images) is brownies, the kind that Alice B. Toklas would undoubtedly have found ho-hum, yet have the distinct advantage of being consumable by all without any ill after-effects. Thus, I say, let chocolate reign all by itself, like the absolute monarch of patisserie that he is, and invite the neighbors. I’m using a recipe by Mark Bittman, which I prefer to all others for its ease and speed of execution, and the fact that it really lets the chocolate take center stage; walnuts are optional – I actually prefer mine without. The result is a moist, tender brownie that has just the right amount of sweetness (I reduced the original amount of sugar from 1 cup to 3/4 cup; I find American dessert recipes tend to use too much sugar for my taste, and my first reaction is always to take it down a notch).
I have a few of those eggs left for now. I think I’ll just save them for breakfast, and try them in as unadulterated a form as possible, to give them a chance to shine in all their gold and white glory.
Simple Brownies
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 stick butter
2 oz unsweetened dark chocolate
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350. Save a tiny bit of the butter to grease an 8 x 8 pan. Flour the pan as well, like this:
Butter first, then add a spoonful of flour and shake it around to coat.
Melt butter and chocolate together in a pan over very low heat. Be careful not to let the chocolate scorch. When melted, take off heat and let cool slightly.
It's melted, melted!
In the meantime, whisk eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla together.
Whisk until the mixture is foamy and the sugar has dissolved.
Whisk melted butter and chocolate together with the eggs mixture, a little bit at a time at first (this will give the eggs a chance to warm up without cooking and curdling).
It's hard not to eat at this stage...
Add the flour and mix gently – do not whisk together or your brownies will be tough. Add walnuts at this stage if desired. Pour in the pan and bake for about 20mn, until the center is just set. Remove from oven, let cool and cut in 16 pieces.
Chocolate reigns.
I was giving those as a housewarming gift.
Can I please have one? Just one?
