The Void and Neztra

I love chocolate. Let me say that one more time. I love chocolate. White chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, flavored chocolate - you name it. By the way, if you are every feeling adventurous and want to try some truly delicious and unique chocolate, find yourself a bar of Belgium-made Dolfin Milk Chocolate with Hot Masala (you can order it online at World Wide Chocolate).

I have been on the hunt for the perfect brownie recipe for years. I am pretty picky about my brownies. They have to be the perfect balance of richness, heady chocolaty goodness and chewy texture. So when HP Sauce and I were trying to decide what to bake this week, it was an easy decision to make brownies our next endeavour.

We decided to try Nigella Lawson's Triple Chocolate Brownie recipe this time. It was so significantly different from any brownie recipe that I had ever made that I thought maybe, just maybe, Nigella knew something I didn't about the perfect brownie recipe. Six eggs... six eggs??? Three sticks of butter? Wow. I would either love them or die of hardening of the arteries just gazing at their buttery goodness. Alas, I did survive both the mixing, baking and taste testing of these rich brownies and have to say that, although they are not my ideal vision of a brownie, they are quite good heated in the microwave for a bit and served piping hot with a scoop of french vanilla ice cream melting on top. The richness of the brownie is like eating an almost souffle-like fudge. I don't know any other way of describing them. So if that sounds good to you, then I highly recommend this recipe.

One warning - HP Sauce and I ran into the same problem with this recipe. Twenty-five minutes in the oven simply didn't do the trick. HP figured this out too late, but after a quick consultation with her, I decided to leave mine in a bit longer. So I checked them at the 30 minute mark. Not done. 35 minutes, still goo in the middle. At forty, they were starting to look good and I decided to heed Nigella's warning to not cook the life out of them. Even so, these brownies are still on the under-done side in the very center. So if you have any solutions when you try this recipe, hit me up - I'd love to know your fix.

Triple Chocolate Brownies
Recipe courtesy of Nigella Lawson and Food Network.com

Ingredients
3 sticks plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces best-quality bittersweet chocolate
6 eggs
1 3/4 cups superfine sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white chocolate buttons, chips, or morsels
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate buttons, chips or morsels
Approximately 2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar, for garnish

Special equipment: Baking tin (approximately 11 1/4 inches by 9 inches by 2 inches), sides and base lined with baking parchment.
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt the butter and dark chocolate together in a large heavy based pan over a low heat.

In a bowl or large measuring jug, beat the eggs together with the superfine sugar and vanilla extract.

Allow the chocolate mixture to cool a little, then add the egg and sugar mixture and beat well. Fold in the flour and salt. Then stir in the white chocolate buttons or chips, and the semisweet chocolate buttons or chips. Beat to combine then scrape and pour the brownie mixture into the prepared tin.

Bake for about 25 minutes. You can see when the brownies are ready because the top dries to a slightly paler brown speckle, while the middle remains dark, dense and gooey. Even with such a big batch you do need to keep checking on it: the difference between gooey brownies and dry ones is only a few minutes. Remember, too, that they will continue to cook as they cool.

To serve, cut into squares while still warm and pile up on a large plate, sprinkling with confectioners' sugar pushed with a teaspoon through a small sieve.