Deniz's Birthday Desert: Brownies and Caramel Ice Cream

Once again, I won't be here for my good friend Deniz's birthday later this month. But I'm also seeing her today and knowing that she loves caramel and she always orders brownies when we go out I thought I would make her a brownie with lots of walnuts, and a caramel ice cream.

The brownies are rich and dark, rather sweet and nutty. They need a tall glass of milk to balance them out... or some ice cream! And it's hot... so ice cream is always better then milk when it's summer!

The ice cream recipe (amazingly good - great texture - dense and rich) is from Tartelettes blog http://tartelette.blogspot.com/2009/07/recipe-chocolate-torte-caramel-ice.html and the brownie recipe is from Dorie Greenspan's "Baking: From My Home To Yours" and it's the 'classic brownie'.

Chocolate-Caramel Pecan Brownies

These were a little tricky to make, and admittedly, although I did use caramel in the recipe, it was quite hard to detect it in the finished product. Still, these were moist, rich brownies.


Ingredients
1.5 cups pecans
2 sticks unsalted butter
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1.5 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
1.25 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup of caramel (see caramel post)
1 cup semisweet chocolate


Method
1. Preheat oven to 350F and roast the pecans for around 8min. Coarsely chop them.

2. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with aluminum foil, making sure that where the handles are for the pan that you go several inches beyond that length. Grease the foil.

3. In a saucepan over medium low heat combine the butter and chocolate, stirring until both are melted the it is of a smooth consistency. Transfer to a large bowl.

4. To the chocolate mixture add the sugar and vanilla mixture and with a whisk, mix until the sugar has been coated by the chocolate.

5. Add the eggs, and whisk for 1-2 min. until thick and glossy.

6. whisk in the flour and salt.

7. Transfer 1/2 the mixture to you pan lined with foil, bake for 20 min.

8. Let cool for 20 min.

9. Stir 1/2 the pecans into the caramel (if the caramel is cold, microwave it in 15 second increments until it is pliable) and spread over the cooled brownie bottom.

10. Pour the remaining brownie batter over the top (once again, if it has become hard, microwave in 15 second increments until it returns to its former consistency).

11. Sprinkle the remaining pecans bits, and the semi-sweet chocolate chips.

12. Bake at 350F for 20 or so min (mine required around 35 min - although I would check at 20min).

13. Cool the brownies completely in the pan, and remove from the pan by grabbing the excess foil from the handle edges.

14. These will keep for around 1 week at room temp.

Taken from :The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes From the Texas Hill Country's Rather Sweet Bakery & Cafe" by Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman pp. 134-6.

Caramel-Peanut-Topped Brownie Cake

I messed up on this one because I overcooked the caramel. But I think this would have been a wonderful cake if I could have gotten the caramel right. So I'm going to post it anyway - because I'd make it again.

Ingredients: Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick of butter (cut into 8 pieces)
5 oz. bittersweet chocolate
3 large eggs
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbs. light corn syrup
1.2 tsp. vanilla extract

Ingredients: Topping
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1.5 Tbs. light corn syrup
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 Tbs. unsalted butter. at room temp.
1 cup salted, roasted peanuts

Method: Cake
1. Center a rack in the oven, and preheat to 350F.
2. Grease a springform tin (I used a 9-inch), dust the inside with flour, and line the base with parchment paper.
3. Place the pan on a baking sheet.
4. Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together.
5. Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, put the butter and chocolate in a bowl and heat, stirring occasionally, until the ingredients are just melted.
6. Remove the bowl from the heat.
7. In a large bowl whisk the eggs and sugars together until well blended.
8. Whisk in the corn syrup, followed by the vanilla.
9. Whisk in the melted butter and chocolate.
10. Still using a whisk, add the flour mix. Combine until just incorporated.
11. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Jiggle the pan to get an even batter.
12. Bake the cake for 35-40 min, or until a thin knife inserted into the center almost comes out clean.
13. Let the cake cool for 15min on a rack.
14. Run a knife along the edges, and remove the sides of the pan. Once the cake is completely cool you can remove the base.

Method: Topping
1. Put the sugar, water and corn syrup in a medium heavy bottomed saucepan., stir to just combine the ingredients.
2. Heat, without stirring, until the caramel turns a deep amber. 5-10min, depending on the size of the saucepan and the intensity of the heat.
3. Lower the heat a bit and standing back from the saucepan, add the cream and butter.
4. Stir to combine.
5. Stir in the peanuts, and place in a pouring jug.

Method: Assembly
1. Spoon the peanuts out of the hot syrup and put them on the cake.
2. Spoon over enough hot syrup to cover the nuts,
3. Allow topping to set at room temperature (20 or so min).

From Dorrie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home To Yours, pp. 264-5.