N° 70: Brownies, Two Ways
A chocolatey month
Good morning,
I didn’t intend to make March chocolate-themed, but the other thing I’m preparing to share is taking longer than expected. So, that leaves us with chocolate, this time in the form of brownies. First, we have my new recipe for The New York Times: Flourless Fudgy Brownies (gift link), which are free of grains and dairy, making them appropriate and timely for Passover, but also delicious for whenever. I don’t really consider myself a brownie person, but I couldn’t stop eating my test batches of these babies. The same can be said for the fruit-sweetened adaptation I just tested, so maybe I am a brownie person after all.
The Times brownies are decidedly not sugar-free; they were intended to be candy-like in their sweetness, as traditional brownies are, with the familiar glossiness and fudginess. But I want to give you (and myself) an alternative here, so I whipped up a date-sugar-sweetened version, which you’ll find in the “P.S.” below.
A couple of recommendations:
Watch DTF St. Louis on HBO Max and Vladimir on Netflix. Linda Cardellini, in the former, and Rachel Weisz, in the latter, give weird, hilarious performances that make each of these miniseries worth watching (Coincidentally, I learned this morning that I’m not alone in my estimation of DTF; Hilton Als writes on Instagram, “If John Cheever was with us still and writing for television, and describing suburban St. Louis and not Ossining, he would have given us something as extraordinary as ‘DTF St. Louis.’ This perfect chamber piece can best be described as a show about grownups concerning the peculiarities of adulthood, deeply Cheeveresque in its tone, casual surrealism, sadness about money, fascination with man love and the secrets of the unfaithful flesh.”
Make the Kookoo Sabzi (a Persian herb-packed fritatta-style dish, also spelled kuku sabzi) from Naz Deravian’s cookbook, Bottom of the Pot. (Her recipe is also available at Epicurious.) I’ve made this dish from a few recipes over the years, and I’ve found this one to be the best. Also make my Flourless Fudgy Brownies, obviously, or the equally easy date-sugar version at the end of this email.
Thanks for reading this. Talk to you soon.
Brian
*Formal Assignment P.S. is for paid subscribers. It’s less than $3/month for an annual subscription.
P.S. Recipe:
Easy Flourless Brownies: The Fruit-Sweetened Version
Gluten-free, Dairy-free, fruit-sweetened
These brownies, made with both cocoa powder and melted unsweetened chocolate, are deeply chocolatey. This depth is enhanced by fruity, bitter olive oil and caramel-y date sugar. Because the latter is actually whole, dried, ground dates (and not an isolated sugar), these brownies are fiber-rich and have a slightly sturdier consistency than the sugary, fudgy confections we are used to. But don’t let that dissuade you; Ben and I have found them irresistible.
Yield: 12 brownies
Active time: 35 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes (includes 20 min. to cool)
INGREDIENTS:
