Brownie Tart

Yesterday I had a serious chocolate craving. They are a daily occurence and can usually be subdued with a cookie or something. Not yesterday's. It required a whole freaking tart (not that I ate the whole thing, but for some reason baking offers the same craving satisfaction as actually eating the damn thing).

I didn't want top have to go to the store which meant once again finding a recipe that matched the contents of my cupboards. Ina Garten to the rescue. The Barefoot Contessa has never let me down. Her Brownie Tart recipe is dense and rich and oh-so chocolatey.

I tend to like my brownies a tiny bit cakier than this, but as a brownie tart it is absolutely perfect. The espresso makes it a wee bit more sophisticated, as well. For some reason I enjoy being able to say my baked goods are sophisticated. And elegant; elegant is a good one. In my mind elegant and sophisticated translates into fewer calories. It's a similar effect as "numerous slivers of cake have fewer calories than one regular sized piece" and the "food from my boyfriend's plate is virtually fat-free" phenomenon.

Brownie Tart
from http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/brownie-tart-recipe/index.html


Note: I didn't have enough chocolate chips or any walnuts so mine had no delightful chunks inside or decorative glaze on top. It was yummy none-the-less.

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

3 1/4 cups (20 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

3 extra-large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon instant coffee granules

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup (4 ounces) chopped walnuts

2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream

Grease and flour a 9-inch tart pan with removable sides. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a bowl set over simmering water. Add 2 cups of the chocolate chips, remove from the heat, and stir until the chocolate melts. Set aside to cool completely.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, coffee, and vanilla on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stir in the cooled chocolate. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, 1 cup of the chocolate chips, and the walnuts. Fold the flour mixture into the batter until just combined. Pour into the pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the center is puffed (the top may crack). The inside will still be very soft. Cool to room temperature before removing the sides of the tart pan.

Melt the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips with the heavy cream and drizzle on the tart.

As you can see, my tart cracked like a savage which sucked but it still tasted yummy.