I really, really like Nigel Slater.
My friend Joanna of Zeb Bakes sent me one of his recipes over a year ago, and since that time we’ve become avid fans of this well-known English food writer, enjoying both his dvd and cookbooks.
I really, really like this brownie recipe. It comes from Nigel Slater’s The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen, and I’ve adapted it only slightly to suit the ingredients I had on hand.
The combination of dutched cocoa and 70% chocolate gives it a deep, not overly sweet flavour, and the large quantity of eggs ensures a light, almost moussy texture. Pete is less enamoured – he loves the flavour, but prefers his brownies to be dense and fudgy. He happily ate several pieces nonetheless!
Apologies to my US friends, but the original recipe was written in metric weights, rather than cup measures. I’ve included imperial weight conversions wherever possible.
- 300g (10.5 oz) caster (superfine) sugar (original recipe specified golden caster sugar)
- 250g (1 cup) unsalted butter
- 250g (8.8oz) dark chocolate (70%) – I used Callebaut callets
- 3 large (59g) eggs, plus 1 extra yolk
- 60g (2oz) plain (AP) flour
- 60g (2oz) dutched cocoa (or the best quality cocoa you have)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
1. Line a 23cm square baking tin with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 175C/350F or 160C/320F with fan.
2. Melt 200g/7oz of the chocolate, either in a pyrex bowl in the microwave on short bursts, or over a pan of simmering water. Remove from heat as soon as the chocolate is melted. If you’re not using callets, chop the remaining chocolate into small pieces.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the cocoa, flour and baking powder. Stir in a pinch of salt.
4. In a small bowl, lightly beat together the eggs and yolk with a fork.
5. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the sugar and butter until very light and fluffy. Gradually mix in the beaten eggs, mixing well between each addition.
6. Using a spatula, gently mix in both the melted chocolate and chocolate pieces, then carefully fold in the flour-cocoa mixture. Use a light touch, and try to keep as much air in the mix as possible.
7. Scrape the mixture into the prepared baking tin, smooth the top, and bake for 30 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the centre comes out a little moist, but free of raw batter. The brownie will firm up on cooling, so be careful not to overbake it. Allow to cool for at least an hour before serving.
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