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Better Than Cybersex Brownies
Ingredients:
4 ounces dark semisweet chocolate
1 stick butter
4 medium eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 vanilla bean (or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract)
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup coarse-chopped pecans
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Chop the chocolate into coarse chunks and put it into a small microwavable bowl with the butter, cut into 4 pieces. Heat in microwave SLOWLY on Low/Defrost for 2 to 3 minutes. Be careful not to burn the chocolate, and stop when it is not yet completely melted. It will continue to melt for a few minutes after you take it out. Stir to blend and expose any solid chunks to the warmer liquefied part. Set this mixture aside to cool slightly.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a wire whisk until well mixed and add salt and cinnamon. Slit the vanilla bean and scrape out all the seeds. Blend them into the eggs too. Add the sugar in three parts, stirring gently with a big spoon until it all dissolves.
Butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch-square pan.
When the chocolate mixture is cool enough not to cook the eggs, pour it slowly into the sugar mixture and fold them together. Mix thoroughly. Gently add the flour, stirring it in slowly with a spoon. Last, add the pecans. Pour the batter into the baking pan.
Bake until brownies pull away from the sides slightly and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 45 minutes (depending on your oven). Let the brownies cool for at least 1 hour. They will be slightly cakelike and slightly fudgy, a perfect compromise, utterly delectable, about 2-1/2 inches tall.
Mocha Mint Madness Cocktails
This recipe works best if all ingredients are chilled in the refrigerator first so the ice doesn’t melt too much when you put everything in the shaker.
Serves 2 generously.
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INGREDIENTS:
2 ounces crème de cacao
1 ounce Kahlua coffee liqueur
1 ounce crème de menthe
1 ounce vodka
2 ounces half-and-half
Garnishes: Mint leaves and dark chocolate shavings
Directions:
Assemble all liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Shake well for 1 to 2 minutes and immediately pour through strainer into martini glasses. Garnish with mint leaves and chocolate curls.
Double Trouble Chocolate Ice Cream
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1-1/2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
4 large egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or seeds from 1 bean
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup mini milk chocolate chips or chocolate shavings
Directions:
Bring cream and half-and-half to a simmer in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Do not boil. Remove from heat and whisk in cocoa powder. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until completely melted. Set saucepan aside. Cool to room temperature.
Beat egg yolks in a large bowl, then add sugar and mix about 3 minutes until thickened. Slowly pour about a quarter of the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, beating or whisking constantly. When that is blended, pour in half the remaining chocolate mixture and repeat, then blend in the last of it, always whisking constantly. (A stand mixer works well for this.)
Pour the chocolate-egg mixture back into the saucepan. Cook very slowly on lowest setting and stir until the mixture thickens and will coat a spoon, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and pour into a bowl, straining through a prepared fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth to remove any lumps. Stir in the vanilla extract and cinnamon, then set the bowl over an ice bath to cool to room temperature.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 to 4 hours. Cool completely, the colder the better. Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Add mini chocolate chips or chocolate shavings when ice cream is soft-churned—solid but still flexible. Mix in well by hand with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, then transfer to a plastic container, seal tightly, and harden in the freezer for 6 to 8 hours.
Orgasmic Chocolate Fudge Sauce
Makes about 1 cup.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or seeds from 1 bean, scraped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
Pour chopped chocolate into a heavy-bottomed saucepan over very low heat and stir until starting to melt. Stir in sugar, salt, cinnamon, vanilla, and butter and continue stirring as the mixture melts. Add the cream gradually, stirring constantly, as the chocolate mixture continues to melt. DO NOT BOIL!
You can keep this sauce in the refrigerator between uses. It will get thicker from the cold. Warm it up in your microwave, set on Defrost or Low, and stir to loosen. If it’s still too thick, add a little milk or cream.