Barefoot Bloggers - March Bonus Recipe - Brownie Pudding

I started this blog, went into hiatus, slapped myself back into action, and the first thing I did was join a group.One with deadlines.
But - we LOVE all things Ina, and so, I rolled up my sleeves, surveyed the pantry, and realised I could almost pull this one off without a 3 a.m. jaunt to the grocery store.

The recipe in question is Brownie Pudding selected by Tia of Southern, Eh? for the March Bonus Recipe Challenge from the Barefoot Bloggers.

The original recipe called for 4 eggs, and as luck would have it, I only had 2 left in the fridge.
=(
Knowing full well that any further procrastination would kill this post, I went ahead and halved the original recipe. I also did not have framboise, which is an optional ingredient in the original recipe, so to add some kick, I substituted coffee powder.

Modifications:

• I halved the original recipe
• I replaced framboise liqueur with 1 tsp instant coffee powder
• I used vanilla essence (blasphemy!) because I didn't have vanilla bean on hand

Cook's Notes:
The original recipe was straightforward. I don't own a stand mixer and used a hand-held beater. While I was first puzzled why the pudding had to be baked in a bain-marie, I figure that is what is needed to get the pudding-like consistency.

Brownie Pudding

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering the dish

4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup good cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
1 tablespoon framboise liqueur, optional
Vanilla ice cream, for serving


Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly butter a 2-quart (9 by 12 by 2-inch) oval baking dish. Melt the 1/2 pound of butter and set aside to cool.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 to 10 minutes, until very thick and light yellow. Meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder and flour together and set aside.
3. When the egg and sugar mixture is ready, reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla seeds, framboise, if using, and the cocoa powder and flour mixture. Mix only until combined. With mixer still on low, slowly pour in the cooled butter and mix again just until combined.
4. Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared dish and place it in a larger baking pan. Add enough of the hottest tap water to the pan to come halfway up the side of the dish and bake for exactly 1 hour. A cake tester inserted 2 inches from the side will come out 3/4 clean. The center will appear very under-baked; this dessert is between a brownie and a pudding.
5. Allow to cool and serve with vanilla ice cream.




Since I had halved the recipe, I turned off the oven after 50 minutes, and removed the pudding from the oven 5 minutes later.
Verdict:
Crisp brownie-like topping with a gooey, almost fudge-like intense chocolate pudding below. This recipe is a keeper! I'm glad I tried it, and wish I could have seen the episode on Food Network when it aired just to see what Ina's version looked like.
Warning - it is a sugar-high inducer, I think I might knock down the amount of sugar the next time, after a few spoonfuls, I had a little aftertaste on my palate - which may also have been due to the intense cocoa flavor.

I prefer to serve this warm, but because of the brownie flavor, I opted to have mine with a glass of milk (slurp!) rather than ice-cream.