Untitled Document
Cupid left a voice mail last night. With the annual
archery tournament in just a few days, he wanted to check in: Would I be
needing any extra assistance this year? A bow-polishing, perhaps? A prompt
response would be appreciated, for his travel schedule is jam-packed with
visits to nervous archers whose aim needs major work. Yep, it’s that time of year already — the
holiday we love to hate and hate to love. The peculiar, mercurial duality
of Valentine’s Day has less to do with our heartfelt emotions,
though, and everything to do with the spectacle. Suddenly our private affairs of the heart are
onstage, for everyone to see, in the CVS candy aisle and at the florist. So
when the love life is in the crapper, of course we tell the world how much
we hate Valentine’s Day. We’ve got to demonstrate our vitriol
for the puppy-dog-eyed punks swooning over their crèmes
brûlées because the envy is too much to bear, and this
Valentine’s Day, we’ll be curled up in the fetal position with
one hand stuck in a bag of pink-and-red M&Ms. I’m getting married in a few weeks, a state in
life that qualifies me for Valentine’s Day queen, right? I wish I
could say I’m excited about the holiday, but the pursuit of higher
love is working me overtime, baby. However, the one thing Valentine’s
Day is good for, regardless of the state of your heart, is chocolate. We
all can use the serotonin, particularly at this time of the year.
A few weeks after my groom and I started dating, I
whipped up a batch of these cherry brownies to show how sweet I was on him.
(He says he doesn’t remember; ahhh, the staying power of culinary
romance.) If you’re partial to a gooey, fudgy brownie, this has your
name written all over it. XOXO.
Black Forest Brownies Adapted from A Passion for
Desserts, by Emily Luchetti
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (one stick, cut into
eight pieces)
8 ounces (about 24) sweet red cherries (With fresh
cherries out of season in February, I used a bag of unsweetened frozen
Bings, thawed and drained well.) 1 1/4 cups sugar Three large eggs 1 teaspoon kirsch, Chambord, or almond extract 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of an
8-inch-square pan with parchment paper. In a double boiler, melt chocolates together with the
butter until smooth and fluid. While the chocolate is melting, cut the
cherries into dice. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and egg.
Whisk in chocolate mixture and kirsch. Mix in flour, salt, and baking
powder. Gently mix in the cut cherries. Spread the batter into the prepared
pan. Bake until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out
almost clean but still with a little batter on it, as long as 40 minutes.
Let brownies cool in the pan When ready to serve, place a plate or cutting board on
top of the pan. Invert the pan and carefully peel off the parchment paper.
Cut brownies into 2-inch squares or cut into shapes, depending on your
mood. Makes about 16 2-inch brownies.
This article appears in Feb 1-7, 2007.
