Dark Chocolate Cherry Brownies With Ganache And Sea Salt Food

DARK CHOCOLATE CHERRY BROWNIES

Steps:

• Pat cherries dry with paper towels; set aside. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt 1/2 cup chopped candy bars with oil; stir until smooth. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, extract, salt and melted chocolate. Add flour; mix well. Stir in cherries and remaining candy bars. , Spread into a 9x5-in. loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool on a wire rack.

DARK CHOCOLATE-CHERRY GANACHE BARS

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder and fine sea salt. Pulse in the butter and vanilla until the mixture just comes together into a smooth mass. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment or wax paper. Press the dough into the pan. Prick all over with a fork. Chill for at least 20 minutes and up to 3 days.
• Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Bake the shortbread until firm to the touch and just beginning to pull away from the sides, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Cool in the pan for 20 minutes on a wire rack. Brush jam over shortbread's surface and let cool thoroughly.
• Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Pour over the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the kirsch. Spread over shortbread. Sprinkle fleur de sel on. Cool to room temperature; cover and chill until firm. Slice and serve.

DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Steps:

• Heat the heavy cream and the butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil. Place the semisweet chocolate in a 3-quart stainless steel bowl. Pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth.
• CHOCOLATE MINT XXX'S
• The fantasy begins by placing the chopped chocolates in a medium-size bowl. Heat the cream, sugar, and chopped mint in a 1 1/2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar; bring to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream through a medium-gauge strainer into the bowl of chopped chocolate. Discard the mint. Use a whisk to gently stir until the cream and chocolate come together in a smooth and glistening pool. Pour the mixture onto a baking sheet with sides and use a rubber spatula to spread the chocolate to the edges. Refrigerate for 40 minutes remove the chocolate mint mixture from the refrigerator and transfer it to a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip. Line a clean baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the mint leaves on the baking sheet. Form the kisses by piping about 1 tablespoon of chocolate mint mixture onto each leaf, creating a spiral conical shape, about 1- inch high for each kiss Refrigerate the kisses for 30 minutes until firm. Store the kisses, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to a hour remove the chocolate mint mixture from the refrigerator and transfer it to a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip. Line a clean baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the mint leaves on the baking sheet. Form the kisses by piping about 1 tablespoon of chocolate mint mixture onto each leaf, creating a spiral conical shape, about 1- inch high for each kiss. Refrigerate the kisses for 30 minutes until firm. Store the kisses, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to a week.

DARK-CHOCOLATE CHERRY BROWNIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8" x 8" baking dish with cooking spray. In a bowl, whisk together flours, cocoa, baking powder and salt; set aside. In another bowl, beat butter, sugar and coffee with an electric mixer on high until crumbly, about 30 seconds. Add eggs one at a time; beat on medium until a thick mocha-colored mixture forms. Add half-and-half, vanilla and chocolate chips; beat on low until just combined. Add flour mixture; beat on low until a thick batter forms. Pour into baking dish and top with cherries. Bake until edges are slightly firm but center is soft, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool 30 minutes; cut into 12 pieces.

DARK CHOCOLATE CHERRY BROWNIES WITH GANACHE AND SEA SALT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F Line a 9x13 baking pan with foil and spray with non-stick spray.
• In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt 8 ounces of bittersweet chocolate and all the butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Whisk in the cocoa powder and espresso powder until smooth. Set aside to cool.
• In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla bean paste and 1/2 teaspoon salt; whisk until combined, then pour in the warm chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Gradually add the flour, stirring with a spatula or wooden spoon just until combined. Fold in the 2 cups pitted cherries.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a crust forms on top a toothpick comes out almost clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Once cooled, lift the brownies by the foil out of the pan, and transfer to a cutting board.
• To make the ganache, place the remaining 8 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate in a bowl. Pour the heavy cream into a saucepan; over medium low heat bring the cream to a gentle simmer just until it starts to bubble. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand for 5 minutes, then stir with a spatula until smooth. Pour over the cooled brownies and smooth out the top.
• Before the ganache sets, sprinkle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt over the ganache, then garnish with whole cherries. Let sit for 15-20 minutes until the ganache is set (you can refrigerate them to speed up the process), then cut into squares.