Tartine's Brownies
I'm not too good at remembering my dreams. There are a few that stick out in my consciousness-- like my favorite one, where I am being chased by a dinosaur on ice, and I have my hockey skates on. It wasn't scary, the feeling was more like being on an amusement park ride, with obstacles. In some of my more boring dreams, I am driving and it's totally natural, not the stiff and nervous way I drive in real life. I had one bizarre dream where I got married to a friend of mine, and there's totally nothing there (unless my subconscious is telling me otherwise), but at the reception I start talking to her, quite worriedly, that we don't have any money to fulfill our dreams together. It seems that I have to wreck even my dreams with my real-life worries.
Some of my recurring dreams involve me sitting in a classroom, in a weird class which is an illogical mix of my classmates all the way from elementary school to medical school. Nothing happens, but there's chats about topics I don't remember. I've had the dream where I show up in school in my underpants (maybe my brain has a protective mechanism that prevents me from showing up naked, lest I die of night terrors). But I've never had a dream where I cook or eat something fantastic. Maybe my conscious mind is already tired of it.
However, there are those times when you see something on a display window and it looks totally dreamy, but it turns out to be a disappointment. Surrounded by hundreds of lovely confections (though I realize by now there are tons better), the brownies at Godiva chocolatiers do look fantastic, but one bite shatters the dream. Fine, it's acceptably chocolatey, but the bitter, soapy taste of chemical leaveners (baking powder most likely) destroys it.
Then there are those brownies you see at the display cases of grocery bakeries, which I once described to Duncan as those brownies that come to the United States with hopes of living the American Dream, before they fall by the wayside and get totally whored up with vile chocolatey vomit, M&Ms, sprinkles, Maltesers, icing, a plastic "Happy St. Patrick's Day!", and, weirdest of all, a mini-candy bar, still in its wrapper. The brownie pimp wins again. (Why I bought it, I don't know. Hunger?)
And look at the ingredients list. US Standards mandate that the ingredients be listed in order of decreasing weight, and of course sugar, oil, and corn syrup precede anything that has to do with chocolate. And I appreciate the effort, but I don't think the paprika (?!) added anything of value to this brownie.
The brownie recipe from the Tartine cookbook is the answer to all these brownie nightmares. It only has 5 main ingredients, and salt and vanilla. However, I didn't have the easiest time making these: I scaled the recipe down and cut the baking time. After cooling, I tried to take it out, and the top crust shattered, the insides still batter-y. Bake for 10 more minutes. Uncooked. Bake some more-- till I'd baked it the same time as a big one. Still uncooked. Bake some more, beyond what a large pan would take. Still uncooked. Dismayed, I threw the whole thing in the freezer. Lo and behold, it emerged from the ice as a brownie of undeniable decadence. It now looked and cut like a brownie, and all my extended family greedily gobbled it all up before Christmas dinner was even presented. They told me I couldn't leave for the States, otherwise who'd make the brownies again?
Tartine's Brownies from Tartine
Maybe I should start calling these the brownies you can't overbake. My only advice would be to cool it completely before attempting to cut, or take out of the pan. These brownies are just as awesome straight out of the fridge or freezer as they are at room temperature, so that may be a plus for you somehow.
Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Line a 9x13 glass baking dish with parchment.
In a small saucepan or a microwaveable bowl, melt the butter over low heat. Remove from the heat/microwave and stir in the chocolate. If it's not fully melted, return over low heat for 10 seconds or microwave on LOW power for 15 second-intervals, stirring in between, until it is melted. Cool completely.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Beat on high speed for about 4-5 minutes, after which the batter will fall from the whisk in thick ribbons that slowly sinks into the surface. Fold the chocolate into the eggs with a rubber spatula. Sift the flour over the surface and fold in gently. Pour into the dish and smooth the top. Bake for 25 minutes (the top will slightly crack-- a cake tester won't be accurate for this one).
67 comments:
The brownie looks so good. Can't stop drooling over the first photo. And the brownies are insanely rich! (in a good way). yum yum yum!
That first photo is making me drool! Looks so, so good. It's also quite horrifying to see the list of ingredients on the store-bought brownie...I'm with you on eating them straight from the freezer - I love them that way!
That is one very shattered crust.
The worst brownie I ever had was from Starbucks in the Detroit airport. It had just the slightest tinge of chocolate flavor, but was mostly bland sugar and flour. Lame.
This recipe is similar in mixing method to Dorie Greenspan's French Chocolate Brownies. I love the texture of those - rich, light, and moist all at once.
I've always wondered how to get that crackling on the top. Very French right?
It's funny you show the ingredient list. I was just at the market and was starved, and almost bought the handy to go bag of store made cc cookies. I didn't because I saw the long long list of ingredients and knew in an hour I would be in a chemical-laden coma needing a long nap.
That brownies look great!!
You dreamt we got married too?! Strange how you refer to me as "she" though, Mark; really thought I was the man. :D
I'm sorry there was nothing there, but you know how it is, you're stressed at work, I'm stressed at work. It's difficult.
Who am I kidding? This marriage was doomed from the start, and I don't think it's me. Maybe tonight you'll dream yourself a personality, and we can get this thing back on track.
:D
Love the idea of freezing the cake before eating! And what a list of ingredients...paprika??? Your photos are amazing. Love that crackly top.
So dreamy brownies Mark!
I like the crackly surface on top ideal to bite faster and...can I eat your photos??
I see something chocolatey and I begin drooling :)
Cheers!
Gera
um...words can not describe my reaction...i was on the phone with my mom and she immediately asked me to email it to her. Brownies are probably my favorite. I sometimes like to buy it at the store. for some reason having a mother who made everything from scratch gave me an appreciation for store bought desserts sometimes. as for dreams...mine are currently about my exam grades. I wish they would just come so I can stop dreaming about it. haha! :)
holy crapola those look good! i want one right now!!!!!
Oh lordy, lordy, lordy! There are no words to describe how luscious these babies look! By the way, I always cook my brownies longer than the recipe calls for. I would never have thought to throw them in the freezer! You can bet I'll be trying that trick! I always have bizarre dreams! Once I dreamed that my husband was actually a human sized bumble bee. I was so upset ... not that he was an insect, but that he hadn't told me he was one. Of course, when I relayed my dream to my hubby, he kind of looked at me like I had lost my mind and told me, and I quote, "No popcorn for you before bed anymore!" *sigh* Perhaps I could have one of your brownies instead! :-)
Those photos are killing me - I could totally eat way too many of those brownies right now. I love that there is just a few ingredients too.
I used to have TERRIBLE dreams, and still do occasionally, where I am frozen sitting in a chair watching someone I love get really badly hurt and I can do nothing to help. They are the worst.
Let's have some fun! Let's take a stab at interpreting your dreams: dino chasing you while you're skating on ice indicates your desire to relive pre-adolescent joys/happy carefree times with rides and all that innocent childhood stuff that is imaginary, scientific and exhilaratingly physical. Marrying your friend indicates a fear of never finding "the one" to marry. The girl in your dream is your safety net and she has never let you down. The money worries. Ai. Everyone's got those nowadays. That's not a dream; that's reality! You worry of not having a job! The weird class indicates your identity. You identify who you are today through your education. It has come to define you. The underpants thing is a fear you had of making a fool of yourself in front of your classmates...and in all likelihood that has never happened before as you had a stellar academic reputation as a student. You don't have to dream about fantastic food because you are living your dream.
I licked the screen Mark! I am right now craving for some very choclately brownies with a KG of choc bar sitting in the fridge. I am going to make it in the weekend. And on the dreams side I had read a book on the meanings of dreams. Just on a funny note I shall interpret u're dreams :
1. Dream's in which we look naked/with very less dress shows the insecurity we have in our minds
2. Roller coaster like rides show that we like thrills in life
3. when we dream about food then we were feeling hungry in th nights ;)
I wish I can poke into those bunny brownie. too bad my monitor is rather too hard in surface! lol! you are darn right, it would taste good with a mild chill! you are a darn good story teller and a charming baker, don't all of you agree with me? . . .
I love the photo pf the cracked brownie...imagine if brownie batter is what came out when the tectonic plates shifted...goodness!
That one brownie looks gorgeous. Reminds me of Antartica, sort of. You know, broken chocolate floes floating on a chocolate ocean....... The ultimate chocolate dream. :)
That's an actual list of ingredients? My God! I am glad that here we still find food on our shelves which are not so chemically treated though we seem to be slowly going that way.
So serving this brownie is one way to become indispensable? :)
Lo'em all carcked up...scrumptious & oh-s0-decadent Mark. I've never had a thing for store bought brownies, & now even the kids have outgrown them. The ingredients in yours (with buttah & loads of choc) makes them as heavenly as they are. Out of the fridge is how I like them.
BTW, if you become a dream analyst or find an anlyser, do let me know. The lad is having som recurrent bad dreams too, which unhappily, the dream catcher isn't catching! Get married Doc...that's my analysis-sweet & simple huh?
I'm mesmerized by these photos, Mark - so beautiful! Love the cracked top and gooey insides of your brownie. Luscious.
As for dreams, I keep having a nightmare where I'm wearing a skirt and my legs aren't shaved. So weird.
But last night I dreamt (no, it's not The Smiths' song) that I was a food stylist/photographer and was working on a very cool studio. :)
Too tempting right before lunch! I love the cracked top look though.
Your dreams are hilarious Mark!
Oooooh, do those look good! I had a similar thing happen to me with the Nigella triple chocolate brownies. They were okay out of the oven, but frozen? O. M. G. Like fudge/cake/ganache frozen awesomeness! We stuck them in the freezer because they were undercooked after an hour and really unstable. It's good to fail sometimes.
:)
Gorgeous photo, it looks so moist and rich. Delicious and drool worthy. Making brownies is my weakness. I never got it right. Need more practice. Yours is PERFECT!
Cheers,
elra
Love the top picture!
What made you think to put it in the freezer to get it to set? That would have never ever occurred to me, but then again, I'm a novice baker.
Wow. I saw the top photo on Tastespotting. Great photo!!!!!
I'm traveling to San Francisco this summer and Tartine is one of the first places I want to go! Those brownies look amazing!
I'm so going to have to make these. I have the cookbook and have only made one recipe from it (croissants). I really need to bake from it more.
Your brownies look so delicious and way better than those "brownies" with lots of unpronounceable ingredients.
Your description is SO wonderful that I have to try these brownies.
And THANK YOU SO MUCH for posting the American measurements instead of just grams and such!
I'm IN!
I'm bookmarking these brownies!
I'm trying to find my most favourite, perfect, ultimate brownie recipe and I think these deserve a try!!
Thanks for the lovely photos and for sharing the recipe :)
OMG. i could eat that entire batch - N-O-W. can't wait to try this one!
The brownie looks just I love , moist and crunchy top. I'll need to try it (urgent:)
Frozen brownies are never a bad thing. That's the first thing to remember. Also, that crust looks amazing. I like good crust on brownies. Another thing, I too always have dreams merging two sets of friends - high school classmates and university friends. They're usually really mundane dreams, with the odd occurance where I can't seem to get to class on time, no matter what I do. Strange in a way, so I'm glad/relieved to know I'm not the only one!!
Great pictures! I love brownies, I've been searching for the perfect recipe for some time.
geez! these looks soo good I'm craving for brownies now!
May I have one? pleeeeeease!!! ^^ Send me some!
I actually like a lot of things straight out of the freezer, besides the obvious ice cream, like cheesecake... Your brownie photo looks awesome, I love the shattered crust!
Haha, those are some funny dreams! I love the one about the dinosaur chasing you on ice. How hysterical! I have had food dreams before, and I tell you, I wake up feeling guilty--and then, I realize, I tasted the most wonderful foods and didn't consume even a single calorie! It's really a great thing--dreaming about food. Annnyway, these brownies look like a dream come true! I really need to make a trip to Tartine, too!
Haha. Your dream narratives are funny. Dream is such a weird thing.
You did a great job with these brownies.
Some of those brownies do sound like the stuff of nightmares, especially the paprika. Yours sound much truer to chocolate, and it's a relief to hear they turned out well after they'd cooled.
My friend just told me yesterday that she could get the instant brownies powder with all in it. Easy to make. Have already asked her to buy me one. After trying, would let you know how it is.
I actually like the cracks. The first picture is amazing.
The brownie looks fantastic. No wonder you were in a hurry to cut it. It's true that you really have to cool it first before slicing, but it's easier said than done :-)
Brownies are my weakness! I haven't tried Tartine's recipe yet but I own the cookbook. I will have to do some baking soon! They look fantastic!
Do I even need to say that I have now put these on my 'to make' list? Nah, thought not.
I actually really like that shattered top crust - it looks so inviting to me!
Funny that you mention the store bought items - I was talking to someone about just that yesterday and the fact that, since baking so much more now, I really can't stand anything store bought and even some bakery items are disappointing. I'm sure your family wasn't disappointed with these brownies!
I made them this weekend Mark, my kids loved them. Its too rich to gobble up but am rlesiguin them bite by bite! Many thanks for the wonderufl recipe!
Wow, that's an intensely flaky crust you managed on those brownies! Quite a feat there. My jaw dropped -- not at the sight of the brownies -- but on the ingredients sticker slapped on that store-bought brownie. There should be a law against that kind of stuff...
I am on a quest for the perfect brownie right now - so your post represents perfect timing!
Sadly, so few live up to the promise... Is it really so hard to get right?
Well done, you, for perservering. Clearly, sticking them in the freezer is the secret part of the recipe!
After seeing your picture I would love to bake these right now. They look delicious!
Dang! That first photo is FABULOUS!
What a brownie story, I wonder why they would stay underbake. Love the idea of the freezer.
Those pics should be in a mag. Beautiful.
Cheers :)
May I just say that I want to make those brownies, just because of how the top looks. Shiny, crackly, just right. Luckily I have some butter softening on the counter now :P
hi there, i popped over from awhiffoflemongrass's blog!
those brownies are simply AWESOME. and such gorgeous photography. i am an instant fan. may i link you?
If I could choose a dream, tonight I'd be dreaming about those brownies. Totally delicious looking!
The Tartine brownie photo is fabulous. Loved this post.
I used to have recurring theme dreams just like I suspect all waiters do. We dream we cannot get the food to our guests in a timely manner. In one dream, I had to play Pacman video game and win on the computer before I could input the food order. It's been years (hence Pacman) since I waited tables, and the dreams have finally been put to rest.
LL
ohhhhhhh i love brownies. Yours looks delicious. the top crackled to perfection. Just need to pair this with a good old vanilla ice cream. Yum!
Your photos are so wonderful! I agree with you - sometimes frozen brownies are better than fresh! (When they are homemade, of course!)
I think a lot of foods we eat every day have scary ingredient lists...I really try to shop carefully and buy whole foods when possible.
The brownies look so decadent & rich! Georgous pictures too!
Wow, these look amazing. Love your blog, btw. I am on the hunt for some good brownie recipes. Really am quite partial to the chewy kind. Wondering if I have time to whip up a batch now??? :)
I hope you read this . . . I bake a lot and was surprised to see that you had the oven temp set at 175 degrees. I double checked by googling the recipe and found it several places (here's an example: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20061025/ai_n16818544) - identical to yours with TWO exceptions. First, you have the wrong oven temp, it should be 350 degrees. Second, you have it as 3/4 cup flour MINUS 2 Tbl. and Tartine's recipe is 3/4 PLUS 2 Tbl. The combination of super low temp (almost 200 degrees off) and insufficient flour is my guess as to why your brownies aren't "solid."
Anonymous, please read clearly. 175 degrees celsius IS 350 fahrenheit. And 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons IS 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons.
oooooooooh YUMMMY thats all I can say. That just looks scumptious. The picture says it all. A Must try!
Thanks for sharing.
I know what you mean. It's so sad that a brownie doesn't taste like a brownie should. That what happens when no one wants to pay anything for food and they need to load it up with a bunch of stuff to make it cheaper.. I love that crust you have on the brownies. The next time my brownies don't bake, I'm throwing them in the freezer!
That looks like the ideal brownie to me. It has to have the cracked tops.
As for dreams, I never seem to remember any by the time I wake up. All I know is I dreamed about something but couldn't remember any details. Kinda scary since no one else seems to have this problem.
I actually like cracked tops! More rustic and I like rustic!
So, we should just bake it for 25 minutes and chuck the whole deal into the freezer until it firms up?
Mark!
I made these brownies just now and the came out SOOOOOO utterly decadent!!! they were quite fudgey and, like you said, I had to adjust the cooking time up a bit.
Thank you so much for introducing me to this recipe :)
What might be the reason if the brownie plate does not crack properly, the chocolate quality perhaps? Eva
Hi Eva, I'm surprised actually to hear the phrase "cracked properly", especially as it is not desirable to some. If you really want it, make sure to beat your whole eggs with the sugar for a very very very long while. Bake until the top is dry then while it is still warm, agitate the top or tap it with a spoon, then cool completely. Cracks abound!
Thanks! I really love the cracking effect, it makes the cake mouth-watering to my mind! This recipie is great, the brownies are thick. Eva
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