Haute Chews: Valentine Pink

Happy February Ladies! Which means that Valentine's is just around the corner, and I am ready to put on the table all the goodness that Valentines day is about. First off, lots of chocolate, hot pink (according to me!), and hearts! But before I begin, let's put you in the mood for romance. You'll need a great dinner outfit, a chocolate dessert that is appealing to the eyes as well as the tummy, and of course lots of flowers! Nothing says I love you better then heart shaped chocolates and flowers. Oui oui?! Enjoy!

Burak Uyan Cutout suede and leather sandals net-a-porter.com • Tibi Ruffled silk-chiffon dress net-a-porter.com • Jimmy Choo Candy glitter acrylic clutch  net-a-porter.com  

Baking Style: Art, Craft, Recipes 

Forever Brownies

serving: 16 squares

2/3 cup plus 1 tbls all purpose flour

2/3 cup cake flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup unsweetened alkalized cocoa powder

1/5 pound plus 2 tbls (18 tbls) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

5 oz unsweetened chocolate melted and slightly cooled

4 oz bittersweet chocolate melted and slightly cooled

5 lg eggs

2 cups superfine sugar

2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbls corn syrup

confectioners' sugar, for sifting over the baked bars

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Lengthwise and width wise, line the inside of a 9 by 9 by 2 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving about 2-3 inches of parchment paper extended on all four sides. 

For the batter: Sift the all purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder onto a sheet of waxed paper.

Whisk the melted butter, melted unsweetened chocolate, and melted bittersweet chocolate in a medium size mixing bowl until smooth. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs just to mix thoroughly. Add the superfine sugar and beat for 45 seconds, just to combine. Blend in the butter melted chocolate mixture, vanilla extract, and corn syrup. Re sift the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Whisk slowly to form a batter, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula to keep the batter even textured.

Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pan, Smooth the top with a flexible palette knife.

Bake the brownies in the preheated oven for 30 -33 minutes, or just till set. There may be a few slender cracks on top.

Cool the brownies in the pan on a cooling rack for 30 minutes. Refrigerate for 4 hours. Gently lift out the large block, using the parchment paper  sides to remove it from the pan. Cut the brownies into squares, using a chef's knife. Detach the squares from the parchment paper. Store in an airtight tin with parchment paper separating the layers. Sift the confectioners' sugar over the top of the brownies just before serving.