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Recipe Detail Page
Chocolate-Orange Fudge Brownies with Brandied Compote
Holiday 2008
Serve 2 brownies each to greedy guests, or allow them each just 1 and store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Serves 8
Chocolate-Orange Fudge Brownies
Melted butter for greasing
4 oz (125 g) good-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (approx. ¾ cup/175 mL)
½ cup (125 mL) unsalted butter, cubed
1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp (5 mL) grated orange zest
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
⅔ cup (150 mL) all-purpose flour
½ tsp (2 mL) baking powder
¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
Brandied Compote
6 oranges
¼ cup (50 mL) granulated sugar
1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
¼ cup (50 mL) brandy
1 cup ( 250 mL) crème fraîche
Mint sprigs
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
2. Line base and sides of an 8-inch (2-L) square baking dish with parchment paper, leaving an overhang of 2 inches (5 cm) on 2 sides. Brush paper with melted butter.
3. In a medium heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of hot, not boiling, water, melt chocolate and butter until almost smooth.
4. Meanwhile, in a separate medium bowl, beat together sugar, eggs, orange zest and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
5. Remove chocolate mixture from the heat; stir until completely smooth. Let cool for 5 minutes.
6. Beat sugar mixture into chocolate mixture until well combined. Stir in flour mixture just until no white streaks remain. Scrape batter into prepared dish. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until brownies pull away from sides of dish and surface is shiny (a toothpick inserted into brownies won’t come out clean). Let cool completely in dish on wire rack. Use paper to remove brownies from dish; cut into 16 squares.
7. For brandied compote, cut a slice from the end of 1 orange with a small sharp knife. Cut away rind and all white pith. Holding the peeled orange in the palm of your hand over a sieve set in a bowl, cut between the membranes to release each orange segment into sieve, discarding any seeds. Squeeze any juice from membranes. Repeat with remaining oranges. Transfer orange segments to a serving dish.
8. Pour ⅓ cup (75 mL) reserved orange juice into a small saucepan; stir in sugar and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; simmer for about 2 minutes until mixture is syrupy. Remove from the heat; stir in brandy. Strain juice over orange segments. Let cool completely.
9. To serve, put 1 or 2 brownies in each of 8 individual shallow dessert bowls. Spoon orange segments with some of the syrup over and alongside brownies. Top each serving with a dollop of crème fraîche and garnish each with a mint sprig.
Serves 8
