Resolution of a Sort

My daughter is happy again.

Apparently, at the color guard practice tonight, she learned that the reason she was told that there was no part for her in the performances this year is because the supervisor was still writing them -- and in the material she just wrote, there is a part. I, being the manipulative type (actually, I'm not, though not from lack of desire; I would like to be able to be devious, but I'm just not good at it), would prefer that this had occurred after my daughter had made her case with the supervisor. That never happened, so she can't draw the conclusion that such things work. Ah, well. Perhaps she'll remember anyway.

Tonight, I made French Chocolate Brownies. They're remarkably like other brownies I've made, save that they are softer, more cakelike, and don't have a crackle glaze on top. Not bad. We'll be making at least one more batch for the band dinner, this coming Thursday night. Here's the recipe:

French Chocolate Brownies

Adapted from “Baking: From My Home to Yours,” by Dorie Greenspan (Houghton Mifflin, 2006)
Time: 1 1/4 hours

12 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces, plus 1 teaspoon melted butter for brushing pan
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, in pieces
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup lightly toasted walnuts or hazelnuts (optional).

1. Place a rack just below center of oven and preheat to 300 degrees.

2. Line an 8-inch-square pan with foil and brush with melted butter.

3. In a bowl, whisk flour and salt together.

4. In top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, or on low power in a microwave, melt remaining butter and chocolate together.

5. Stir often and remove from heat when a few lumps remain. Stir until smooth.

6. In a mixer, beat eggs and sugar together until thick and pale yellow.
7. Add chocolate mixture and vanilla and mix at low speed until smooth.
8. Add dry ingredients and mix 30 seconds, then finish mixing by hand, adding nuts if using.
9. Pour into prepared pan and bake 50 to 60 minutes, until top is dry.
10. Let cool in pan, then lift out and cut into bars or wrap in foil.


Yield: 12 to 16 brownies.