salad to sweets

I think one of the most photogenic foods is a big bowl o’ salad. This was a super classy one:

My mom’s leftover lamb steak (yes, I live on other peoples’ leftovers, clearly); thinly sliced apple; goat cheese; and arugula. Dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, and freshly ground black pepper.

   

It was already gorgeous, and then I tossed it and the sun got even BRIGHTER (it is finally, finally not horribly cold and ugly out! Praise be!) and I just had to get another shot.

 

Mmm. Had it with another of the date nut muffins. Guys, I have been making these like once a week. No joke. The best recipe I’ve ever made up. This particular time I didn’t have plain yogurt (subbed lowfat buttermilk, worked like a dream) or apricots (subbed 1.5 T golden raisins, chopped). Fab!

I put the recipe on recipezaar to spread the love!

Date nut muffins. Enjoy!

I also had to buy this yogurt when  I saw it cause…

Who knew yumberries existed?! It tasted like… I mean, yogurt. Hahaha. Nothing too exciting.

Then I admired the (finally!) sunlit view from our dining room, which I really don’t do often enough.

Our house backs up to a public park!

Okay, so I said I was trying to skew the salad-to-cake ratio to get the bod lookin’ a little firmer before Thailand. However, it is still a RATIO. I had my salad, I’m having my sweets :D We’re going to a friend’s house for dinner and I obbbbbbviously offered to make dessert!

So we have an abundance of chocolate truffles in my house. Like, frightening amounts. Christmas gifts!

I decided… okay, a chocolate truffle is basically cocoa mass and fat. A melted truffle would highly resemble butter melted with chocolate… also known as the base for BROWNIES! I got out a fun assortment (sizes, shapes, dark, milk) and got to work.

I pulled out a cookbook to consult on proportions/technique, which is where I got the somewhat unusual temperature:

 

And made me some brownies!

Chocolate Truffle Brownies

2 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

Beat together until frothy

  

Add 2/3 cup of sugar.

Beat 2-3 minutes until eggs are fluffy and light yellow.

Then add 1 tsp vanilla and beat an additional 30 seconds.

Meanwhile, melt together (Start with one minute in the microwave, then stir, and microwave additional time if necessary to melt everything)

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

4 oz chocolate truffles

Stir.

With the mixer going, add the chocolate mixture. Then add

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 T cocoa powder.

To prep your pan (I used an 8 incher) spray with cooking spray, then dust with a tsp or so of cocoa powder and shake it around so bottom and sides are coated, shaking out excess.

 

Then pour in your batter:

Mmm, flowing chocolate. I topped it with more chopped truffle, totally optional.

 

Based on the cookbook directions… I preheated my oven to 450*, then put in the brownie pan and immediately reduced the heat to 400.

Then I baked it for twenty minutes.

When I took it out… it looked BUSTED.

HILLY. TOPOGRAPHICAL.

 

I was concerned. But then everything subsided after a few minutes, and I cut everybody into squares, and I had a taste, and whaddya know:

Brownies! They are more cakey than fudgy, but still have the awesome richness you can only get with homemade brownies. Not bad for a recipe I made up on the fly!

I arranged them prettily on a plate, and we are off to our friends’ for dinner!