Choc-a-block trifle.
Black forest sundaes with brownies.
BEYOND BROWNIES
Without garnishes what would deserts be?
It seems to be the fate of the parsley family of herbs to be downgraded as ''just a garnish''. Pakchee roey nah (garnished with coriander), a saying arising from Thai cooks' habit of sprinkling coriander over every dish, is such a pithy observation. It is used to describe all acts of shallow merit that are high in face-gaining value, and also to expose the glossing over of shoddy acts with a false sheen. In my foolish youthful days, influenced by these negative connotations of coriander garnish, I used to treat this inoffensive greenery with contempt, and would pointedly pick it out and throw it away. It's only when I was well into my cooking career that I began to value the garnishes for the many serviceable roles they play in food presentation and taste enhancement. In Western cuisine, parsley, too, has been called the wallflower of fresh herbs, the boring one whose presence is an afterthought, which is as unfair as my treatment of coriander in Thai food. Ironically, coriander, called cilantro in the US, has become the herb of the decade for Western, or at least fusion, cuisine, and is now appearing in all kinds of dishes. In exchange, I'd like to give parsley its due as we are now growing a lot of it here. It's true that the fragrance and the taste of parsley is not as distinctive as basil, tarragon and some other strong herbs, but that works out well as you can use it extravagantly without muscling out other flavours. It's bright, grassy freshness helps round out pungent ingredients like anchovies, capers and olives. A big dose of chopped parsley adds punch to starchy foods like beans, potatoes and grains, or go half-half with basil in a pesto sauce to tone down the raw pungency, to list just a few.
To a new convert to food garnishes like me, parsley, both the curly type and the flat-leaf Italian type, is my kitchen staple, vital for putting that touch of deep-green colour to enliven a plate or a bowl of something too pale, or something too dark. Of course parsley is hardly the only garnish around. Dill and fennel fronds are excellent reposing on salmon. Finely shredded ginger and spring onion happily smother a steamed fish. And lately I've seen fresh red chilli perching whole on a cocktail glass where slices of lemon used to preside.
The world of desserts is even more thickly populated with garnishes, and whipped cream can probably be found at the top of the list, which encompasses an uncomplicated sprinkling of icing sugar, to citrus zest, jam glaze, chocolate curls, all the way to crystalised flower petals. Brownies, that seemingly simple bar cake, favourite of girl guide bake sales, however, usually go unadorned, unless you count a scoop of ice cream as garnish when it is served hot and a{aac} la mode.
We don't have girl guide bake sales in Thailand, but brownies have pride of place in the heart of probably at least a quarter of the female population. Almost all of my students love brownies, to eat, that is, and that love fuels their desire to be able to make them and hopefully to sell them and become rich. The brownie is a US invention, variously classified as bar cookies, sheet cake or traybake. Brownie, which is largely unleavened, is said to have come into being when a cook forgot to add baking powder. The first published recipe of brownies appeared in 1897, and to this day, you will find very little raising agent included in the recipe and very little flour, comparatively, as well. A good brownie needs good quality chocolate, but a great brownie needs courage to pull it out of the oven when it is still a bit runny in the middle to give it that chewy, fudgy texture.
I'm taking you beyond brownies today in our adventure with garnishes. Start by making a tray of really rich and nutty brownies, and proceed to dice up a good part of it. We are going to transform the common brownies into elegant desserts, served up in clear and pretty glasses. Fill these glasses half full with cubes of luscious brownies. In one, we add butterscotch sauce and white chocolate mousse. In another we drench the brownies with Kahlua and a chocolate sauce before topping it with airy custard to make a choc-a-block trifle. The last, the black forest sundae with brownies, involves making your own chocolate ice cream if you're so inclined, or buy the brand of your choice. Put a scoop or two on the brownie base, top with cherries macerated in kirsch, and crown the whole with a good dollop of snowy whipped cream. No one can accuse brownies of being plain any more.
Chocolate fudge brownies
For a 7x11in. (8x29cm) tray
Ingredients: 280g!dark semi-sweet chocolate, chopped, divided!
3!eggs!
2 tsp! vanilla extract!
280g! brown sugar!
80g! all-purpose flour!
11/2 tsp! baking powder!
200g! unsalted butter, melted!
150g! pecan, coarsely chopped!
a pinch of salt!
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 170C/fan 150C. Grease and line a 7x11in. pan with baking parchment. Melt half the chocolate in the microwave on high for about one minute. Stir until smooth.
2. Whisk the eggs, vanilla and sugar until pale and doubled in volume. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and fold them in. Combine the melted chocolate with the melted butter and fold them in, too. Lastly add the remaining chocolate and pecan, and mix well.
3. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out with a little moist crumb attached. Let cool completely.
Brownies with butterscotch sauce and white chocolate mousse
To serve 4
Ingredients: 320g! chocolate fudge brownies, diced!
chocolate curls, to garnish
zButterscotch sauce
100g! caster sugar!
50ml! water!
100ml! whipping cream!
2 tsp! rum!
!white chocolate mousse!
250ml! whipping cream!
125g! white chocolate!
40ml! water!
15ml! liquid glucose!
Preparation:
1. Butterscotch sauce: Put the sugar and water in a saucepan and mix well to dissolve the sugar. Bring to the boil, and boil over a high heat, without stirring, until the mixture turns a golden caramel colour. While the sugar is cooking, bring the cream to the boil in a separate pan. Once the syrup turns a golden caramel colour, remove it from the heat and gradually add the hot cream, stirring to blend. Return the pan to the heat and stir until it boils. Stir in the rum and let the sauce cool completely.
2. White chocolate mousse: Whip the cream to soft peaks and place in the fridge. Put the chocolate, water and glucose in a bowl. Melt them together in the microwave on high for about a minute. Stir until smooth. Gradually fold whipped cream into chocolate mixture while still warm.
3. Assemble: Divide the brownies between four glasses. Spoon over the butterscotch sauce and top each glass with the white chocolate mousse. Garnish with chocolate curls.
Choc-a-block trifle
To serve 6
Ingredients: 350g! chocolate fudge brownies, diced!
60ml! Kahlua!
275g! dark semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped!
3!egg yolks!
11/2 Tbsp! caster sugar!
1 tsp! cornflour!
600ml! whipping cream, divided!
150g! white chocolate, roughly chopped, divided!
30g! toasted chopped walnuts!
Preparation:
1. Divide brownie cubes among six 250ml serving glasses. Drizzle over the Kahlua, then set aside.
2. Melt the chocolate in the microwave on high for about 1 1/2 minutes, stir until smooth. Add 225ml boiling water, a tablespoon at a time, stirring to make a sauce. Pour sauce over the brownies, then cover and chill for two hours.
3. Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour together in a bowl until thick and pale. Heat 300ml of the cream until just below boiling point. Pour the hot cream over the egg mixture, stirring to combine. Transfer to a clean saucepan and place over low heat. Stir for two to three minutes until a thick custard forms. Melt 100g white chocolate in the microwave on high for 45-60 seconds, stir until smooth. Mix the melted chocolate with the custard until well combined. Cool completely, then pour over the chocolate brownie base. Chill for two hours.
4. Place the remaining 50g of white chocolate in a food processor with the walnuts and pulse until fine. Whip the remaining cream to soft peaks, stir in the walnut mixture, then spread over the trifle. Chill for at least two hours until set, before serving.
Black forest sundaes with brownies
To serve 4
Ingredients: zFor the ice cream
570ml! whipping cream!
140g! caster sugar!
4!egg yolks!
1/2 tsp! vanilla extract!
200g! dark semi-sweet chocolate!
zFor the cherry sauce
400g !cherries!
2 Tbsp! kirsch or brandy!
zTo serve
150ml! whipping cream!
2 tsp! icing sugar!
200g!chocolate fudge brownies, diced!
Preparation:
1. Ice cream: Bring the cream to the boil in a saucepan. Beat together the sugar, egg yolks and vanilla. Stir two tablespoons hot cream into the egg mixture, then pour the mixture into the saucepan of cream. Cook on low heat, stirring continuously until the custard coats the back of the spoon. Melt the chocolate in the microwave on high for one minute, then stir into the custard. When the custard has cooled, churn in an ice-cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions.
2. Sauce: Drain the cherries, reserving the liquid, then set aside. Place the liquid in a pan with the kirsch or brandy and simmer until syrupy. Return the cherries to the pan to heat through.
3. Assemble: Whip the cream with the icing sugar until soft peaks form. Divide brownie cubes among four glasses. Scoop the ice cream on top, then drizzle with the cherries and sauce. Dollop with whipped cream and scatter with grated chocolate.
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