Saturday Matinee

Latte with Chocolate or a Mocha...

"I want a latte with some chocolate in it," she orders.
"A mocha?" I ask.
"What's the difference between a latte and a mocha?"
"A mocha is basically a latte with chocolate in it."
"What's a latte?"
"It's espresso with steamed milk."
"Oh yeah I want that! Espresso with steamed milk. Can I get some choclate in that?"
"One mocha coming up."

Wednesday = Recipe Day

ESPRESSO BROWNIES

These freeze well, so you can always have some on hand, although they’re so delicious it’s difficult to wait until they thaw! 
Fortunately that doesn’t take long. 
If you just cannot wait, these taste wonderful cut into chunks and mixed into vanilla ice cream.

Espresso Brownies 
Ingredients:
5 ounces unsweetened dark chocolate, coarsely chopped 
2 1/2 sticks unsalted (sweet) butter, softened 
3 tablespoons espresso coffee beans, finely ground to a pulverized powder 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
2 1/2 cups sugar 
5 large eggs 
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Instructions:
Preheat the over to 325°F. 
Butter and flour a 9”x12” baking pan and line it with parchment paper to avoid losing even one crumb.
In the top of a double boiler, combine butter, coffee, and salt and heat over simmering water until just melted and smooth. 
Remove from heat and allow to cool. 
In a large bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, and vanilla and whisk until a smooth yellow cream. 
Slowly add the melted chocolate and combine well. 
Slowly and gently fold in the flour until it is well incorporated. 
The batter should look pale chocolate brown and smooth. Fold in the walnuts. 
Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the batter on top. 
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 
Here’s the hard part. 
Allow the pan to cool on the rack for an entire hour. 
When the timer rings, run a knife around the edges of the pan, then cut into squares while still in the pan. 
Transfer each brownie to a serving platter or one out of every five; no one will see you.

Makes 1 dozen large brownies or 24 bite-size ones