Wednesdays Unplugged – The Farm Brownies

“Good architecture is like a good therapy session, a good marriage, a good poem – gently and almost invisibly allowing you to be you, as flawed and as beautiful as you are.”

Robert Sullivan

NOTE: I spend my Wednesdays Unplugged from appointments. It’s my day to stay home, enjoy cooking and welcome our kids and grandkids for dinner in the evening. We end our meal with quotes from the Norwegian ‘Quote Cup’ passed on to me from my grandmother. I share a quote and a recipe here each week, along with an update and photos of what has been going on in our lives. I love trying new recipes…and love getting recipes you would like to share!

We celebrated our grandson’s 18th birthday last week… then John’s brother’s 83rd birthday and his son-in-law’s birthday as they prepare for the birth of their second child. The weekend was one of wonderful mid-century modern architecture. Our son and grandson joined me on a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Willey House, and John and I both toured two stunning MCM ‘tree houses’ in St. Paul (one by Elizabeth Close, the other by Jeri Zuber).

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

I found this recipe for brownies from The Farm Restaurant in Beverly Hills, CA shared by The Brownie Project and adapted from epicurious.com. They evidently are known for their brownie sundaes and I made these for our grandson’s birthday. The batter was still not set when it came out of the oven… why they must cool for at least 2 hours before cutting them… but they were worth the wait!

The Farm Brownies

• 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 12 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (60% cacao), chopped
• 6 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
• 3 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with parchment.

Melt butter with chocolate in a double boiler or a large metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove bowl from pan and whisk in eggs, one at a time.

Sift together flour and cocoa powder in a separate bowl and stir into batter with sugar and salt.

Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven about 40-45 minutes.

Cool completely in pan on on a rack, about 2 hours, before cutting into 20 squares.