Category Archives: Chocolate

Five-Ingredient Flourless Brownie Bites

Chocolate, Gluten-free, Muffins, Wine and Unwind April 17, 2023 Leave a comment

Our Backstage Baker is now in San Diego!  Just temporarily, though . . .

He closed “The Collaboration” in February, took a quick break, and then jumped right into his new show “Destiny of Desire.”  Now, he’s out in San Diego at the Old Globe Theater putting it up there. 

“Destiny of Desire” is billed as an “Unapologetic Telenovela in Two Acts.”  Directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson (I show my age by first knowing him as Buddy Bolden in “Jelly’s Last Jam”) and starring an array of Broadway stars (Bianca Marroquin and Mandy Gonzalez among others) you can read more (and get your tickets!) here.

And even though James is thousands of miles away from his kitchen, he was still able to host the first of many Wine and Unwinds with this to-die-for super-simple recipe.  (It is gluten free but decidedly not vegan.)

Please enjoy!!

 Five Ingredient Flourless Brownie Bites 

Ingredients:

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate (chopped). More for melting and drizzling if desired.

1/2 cup butter

1 cups sugar

3 large eggs (room temperature)

1/2 cup cocoa powder

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F

1. Line a 24-count mini muffin tin with liners and grease generously. (NOTE: Don’t think you can just grease the tin. The bites will NOT come out. Follow the directions and use the liners!) 

2. In a double boiler (aka a bowl over a pot of boiling water) add the chocolate and butter. Whisk until the chocolate and butter has melted and the mixture is unctuous and smooth.

3. Add the sugar, followed by the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Add the cocoa powder and mix until you get a thick brownie batter.

4. Evenly distribute the batter amongst 20-24 of the greased mini muffin tins. I actually got 30. It will depend on the size of your mini tins.

5. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until crackly on top.

6. Let the brownie bites cool in the pan completely before turning them out.

7. Enjoy!!

The cast did! 😉

Bianca Marroquin (fresh off her Broadway run in CHICAGO and her sold out performance at 54 Below) who plays Fabiola and Julio Agustin who plays Dr. Mendoza

Chocolate Mochi Cake

Cakes, Chocolate, Gluten-free, Wine and Unwind January 31, 2023 Leave a comment

This week’s Wine and Unwind at The Collaboration featured a decadent Chocolate Mochi Cake. Dense, moist and warmly spicy, this is a gluten-free wonder. (Don’t be confused by the “glutinous sweet rice flour” ingredient below. Rice flour, glutinous or not, is gluten-free!)

Note that you can make this with the coconut oil and coconut milk, or you can throw caution to the winds and use butter and half & half. Either way, it’ll be great!

Ingredients:

6 Tbsp. virgin coconut oil, melted, plus more for pan (or can also use butter)

1½ cups (300 g) sugar, plus more for pan

1 (13.5-oz.) can unsweetened coconut milk (or can also use half & half)

2 large eggs

2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 cups (254 g) glutinous sweet rice flour*

3 Tbsp. powdered unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/3 tsp. ground cardamom

1 tsp. baking powder

¼–⅓ cup unsweetened shredded coconut 

*can be hard to find in a regular supermarket, but Bob’s Red Mill makes one and can usually be found in any health food store.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease a 9″-diameter cake pan. Coat pan with sugar, tapping out excess (about ¼ cup should do it).

2. Place 1½ cups (300 g) sugar and 6 Tbsp. coconut oil in a large bowl.Heat coconut milk in a small saucepan over medium, whisking constantly, until no clumps remain, then whisk into sugar mixture. Add eggs, vanilla, and salt and whisk to combine.

3. Whisk rice flour, cocoa powder, spices and baking powder in a medium bowl to combine, then fold into egg mixture. Scrape batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with coconut.

4. Bake until top begins to crack and cake springs back when gently pressed, 55–65 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool in pan 10 minutes. Run a knife around perimeter of cake, place a plate over pan, and invert cake onto plate. Hold wire rack over cake and invert cake onto rack  Let cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

5. Do ahead: Cake can be baked 5 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

Krysta Rodriguez (Maya) enjoying a post-show slice

Crew members Dan Conner and Jeff Dodson unwinding

Torta Caprese (Chocolate and Almond Flourless Cake)

Cakes, Chocolate, Gluten-free, Wine and Unwind January 23, 2023 Leave a comment

It’s been a minute since our last post . . . In the interim, James has moved on from The Kite Runner (which closed on October 30, 2022), going straight into rehearsals for his current show, The Collaboration.  Starring Paul Bettany and Jeremy Pope, with Erik Jensen and Krysta Rodriguez, it’s about the real-life artistic collaboration of Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat.  May I strongly suggest that you run out and get your tickets for this magnificent show?  It must close on February 11, 2023 and is an absolute treat!

Speaking of treats . . . James made the following Torta Caprese for a recent Wine and Unwind.  It’s a gluten-free recipe he learned from Chef Lorena when he sojourned in San Gemigni, Italy a few years ago.  (Check out her restaurant Facebook page here:  Il Giardino-Vino e Cucina).  I was lucky enough to be in attendance for some of her cooking classes, where we also learned how to make gnocchi and other Italian treats.  (Watch this space for another Chef Lorena special recipe soon!)

With just a few ingredients, make sure you get the best quality chocolate and butter to lift this torta into the stratosphere of deliciousity.

Torta Caprese (Chocolate and Almond Flourless Cake)

Ingredients

125grams (4.4 oz) blanched almonds (or almond meal)*

125grams (4.4 oz) good quality dark chocolate (I use 70% cocoa)

125grams (4.4 oz or 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, chopped

125grams (4.4 oz or 1/2 cup) sugar

3 large eggs, separated and left to come to room temperature

Powdered sugar for dusting

Optional additions:  Zest of one orange, 1 TBSP rum, 1 tsp almond essence

* If using whole blanched almonds, blitz them to a very fine, sandy texture in a food processor.

Directions

Grease and line a 20 cm or 8 inch round cake tin with baking paper (I like to use a springform tin or one with a removable base for this delicate cake) and preheat oven to 160ºC or 320ºF. 

Place the chocolate, broken up, in a metal or glass bowl set over a bain marie (aka a double broiler, or a pot of simmering water). When melted, remove the bowl from the heat and add the butter, stirring with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula to help it melt. 

Add the sugar and the almond meal. Once the mixture is no longer hot, add the egg yolks and stir to combine with a wooden spoon. If adding any further ingredients (orange zest, rum, etc), stir them in now.

In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites with beaters to soft, fluffy peaks. Fold the whites gently through the chocolate and almond batter. 

Pour the batter into the cake tin, smooth over the top and bake for approximately 40 minutes or until the top appears dry and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs attached (not wet batter). 

It is important not to overcook this cake so that it retains its wonderful moist consistency. 

Let cool completely in the tin before handling. Dust with powdered sugar and, if desired, some lightly whipped cream. This cake keeps well for several days and is even better the next day.

Vegan Chocolate Tart with Hazelnut and Orange (Gluten Free!)

Chocolate, Gluten-free, Tarts, Vegan, Wine and Unwind May 28, 2019 1 Comment

The Dessert

I realize I’ve fallen down on the job of blogging our Backstage Baker’s creations.  The last post had him creating an amazing cake for “Mother of Maid” at the Public (starring Glenn Close) way back in October of LAST year!  Here’s that link if you missed it.

After that, he went on to work with Ethan Hawke and Paul Dano on Sam Shepard’s limited run of “True West.”  While there certainly were baked goods and Wine and Unwind’s there, there were no new recipes, hence no blog posts.

Now, our Backstage Baker is stage managing yet another Broadway show, this time the blockbuster production of “Oklahoma” now playing at the Circle in the Square Theatre.  It’s nominated for ton of awards, so good luck trying to get tickets anytime soon!

Since many people in that cast are gluten-free and/or vegan, James has been experimenting.  Here’s the recipe for his most recent creation:

Vegan Chocolate Tart with Hazelnut and Orange (Gluten Free)

Ingredients:

Hazelnut Crust:
1 1/2 cup almond meal
1 cup toasted hazelnuts
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
2 tablespoons maple syrup
zest of one orange
1/4 teaspoon salt

Truffle Filling:
24 ounces 2 bags vegan chocolate chips
1 can full fat coconut milk
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 tablespoon dark rum
1 tablespoon orange juice

Toppings
Toasted hazelnuts, chopped
Additional orange zest strips

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly spray a 10″ tart pan and set aside.
In a food processor, chop the hazelnuts until they are a coarse crumb. Add the remaining crust ingredients and process until well combined. The crust should hold together when pressed between your fingers. Spread evenly onto tart pan, pressing it up the fluted sides. Bake for 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool.
To make the filling, place the chocolate chips, rum, and orange juice in a medium sized bowl. In a small saucepan bring the coconut milk and coconut oil to a scald (just before boiling point). Pour over chocolate chips and cover for 3 minutes. Remove lid and gently stir together until thick and dark. Pour evenly into cooled crust.
Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts and orange peel and return to refrigerator for another hour, until chilled all the way through.
Store in the refrigerator. Delicious!!!

Dream Ballet Dancer Gabrielle Hamilton, Jimmy Davis who plays Will Parker and Mallory Portnoy who plays GertieDream Ballet Dancer Gabrielle Hamilton, Jimmy Davis who plays Will Parker and Mallory Portnoy who plays Gertie

A Flourless Chocolate Cake fit for a King

Cakes, Chocolate, Gluten-free January 20, 2018 Leave a comment
IMG_0113 Mark Rylance, aka King Phillip V, star of “Farinelli and the King”

King Phillip V, that is.  Our James has hopped directly from “Time and the Conways” to another Broadway show, “Farinelli and the King.”  If you haven’t heard of it, you really, really should.  I was lucky enough to see it last week, and it is really a gorgeous, emotional and relevant evening of theater.  No spoilers here, but the entire production seems lit entirely by candlelight and the whole thing has a magical, poignant quality to it.  Here’s a link to a Vanity Fair article about it, here’s the New York Times review and here’s where you can buy tickets.  Do get them soon, because this is a limited run that ends on March 25.

But back to cake — Mark Rylance, (King Phillip) celebrated his birthday yesterday, and James baked his classic, simple and delectable Flourless Chocolate Cake.   Actually, as you can see from the photo below, he baked two.  While we’ve already blogged this recipe  (here), when the King commands, it seems necessary to blog it again.  Plus, the cake only has six ingredients, so it’s a definite keeper

IMG_0107

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Bittersweet Chocolate Glaze

Ingredients:

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Glaze:

2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1 tablespoon butter

Method:

1.   Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease an 8 inch round cake pan, and dust with cocoa powder.
2.   In the top of a double boiler over lightly simmering water, melt chocolate and butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, cocoa powder, eggs, and vanilla. Pour into prepared pan.
3.   Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

For the Glaze:

1.   In a small saucepan, combine 2 tablespoons sugar, the corn syrup and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Add 4 ounces chopped chocolate, swirl pan to mix, do not mix, and allow to stand until melted, about 3 minutes.
2.  Whisk 1 tablespoon butter into icing until melted and the chocolate is shiny and smooth.. Put wax paper under the cooling rack then pour glaze evenly over cake. Use a spatula to ease icing out to edges of cake and down the sides. Sprinkle the ground almonds around the top edge of the cake. Allow icing to cool and set before slicing.

IMG_0108Champagne with a chaser . . .  Or is it the other way around?

Raspberry Stuffed Mini Dark Chocolate Cakes with Chocolate Truffle Icing

Cakes, Chocolate, Wine and Unwind August 29, 2017 1 Comment

James 4

Our Backstage Baker is busy busy —  he’s already deep in rehearsal for his next Broadway show, J.B. Priestley’s Time and the Conways, starring Elizabeth McGovern and directed by Indecent’s Rebecca Taichman.  (FYI, Indecent closed on August 6, but if you missed it, you can catch it on November 17 on PBS’ Great Performances.  Check your local listings, as they say.)

Last week was the first Wine and Unwind for the Conways cast, and James made the Flourless Chocolate Cake already posted on the site. (As an aside, do you realize there are over 85 recipes posted here?  All made by James for the various shows he’s worked on over the past four years.)

This week, he tried a new recipe, and it seems like a keeper.  Enjoy!

Fresh Raspberry Stuffed  Mini Dark Chocolate Cakes with Chocolate Truffle Icing
NOTES:  The individual cakes are made in cupcake pans and then inverted to cool, iced and served.
This recipe is great for a party since it makes 24.

Ingredients
for the mini cakes:
Nonstick Coconut Oil cooking spray
1/2 cup butter
2 large eggs
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups raspberries

for the Chocolate Truffle Icing:
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla

Method:

Let butter and eggs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes while you preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat twenty-four 2-1/2-inch muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar and brown sugar. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar mixture, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating on medium speed about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

Add about 1/4 cup flour mixture and 1/4 cup buttermilk to butter mixture, beating on low speed. Keep adding flour and buttermilk until finished and beat until just combined. Beat on medium to high speed for 20 seconds more.

Divide half of the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Divide the 2 cups raspberries among muffin cups, adding 3 or 4 berries to the center of each cup. Spoon the remaining batter over berries in muffin cups. Do not fill the cups fully.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

To Prepare Chocolate Truffle Icing:
Put cream and corn syrup in a small pan and boil over low heat stirring constantly. Add chocolate chips and let set 2 minutes. Whisk to combine and add vanilla.

To glaze cupcakes, invert one cake at a time onto a slotted spoon. Hold the cake over the bowl of icing and spoon icing over cake, allowing excess to drip down side. Place glazed cakes on a wire rack set on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill about 20 minutes or until icing is set.

James 1

If desired, decorate cakes with additional raspberries. Makes 24 cupcakes.

James 2
Actors Cara Ricketts and Gabriel Ebert ( 2013 Tony Award  winner for Best Featured Actor in a Musical)

James 3
Anna Camp, Anna Baryshnikov and Charlotte Parry wining and unwinding

James 5
Assistant Director Katie Lindsay

Grossman Family Mocha Brownies

Bars, Chocolate, Wine and Unwind June 1, 2017 Leave a comment

Pic 4

This week one of the INDECENT Co-Producers hosted the Wine and Unwind. Let’s welcome Sarahbeth Grossman and her family recipe for Mocha Brownies into the Backstage Baker Club!!! Sarahbeth was also one of the producers on AN AMERICAN IN PARIS and on ANN.

Grossman Family Mocha Brownies

Ingredients:

2/3 cups butter
2 teaspoons instant coffee
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups flour

Method:

Melt butter, coffee and chocolate in a double boiler.  Remove from heat.  Stir in ingredients in the order listed.  Beat at high speed for 30 seconds (batter will turn lighter brown in color.) Pour into greased 9×11 pan.  Bake at 375 degrees for 30 min.

Butter Cream Frosting:
Melt and heat 4 tablespoons of butter until light brown and frothy (do not burn).  Beat in 3 cups of confectioners sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla and 3 Tablespoons of cream or milk.  Stir til smooth then spread over cooled brownies.  Cut into squares after frosting sets.


Pic 1
From left to right: musician Matt Darriau, actor Tom Nelis, Baker, co-Producer Sarahbeth Grossman and her Mocha Brownies, actor Max Gordon Moore

Pic 2
Actor Rich Topol who plays Lemml and a Wine and Unwind guest

Pic 3
Tom Nelis, special guest Vivienne Benesch, Producing Artistic Director of PlayMakers Repertory Company in North Carolina and Max Gordon Moore

Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Sweet Potato Frosting

Cakes, Chocolate, Wine and Unwind January 1, 2017 Leave a comment

the-play-the-cake-the-wine

The Backstage Baker is back on Broadway with August Wilson’s Jitney! Directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, it’s part of Wilson’s Pittsburgh/Century Cycle of plays (two of which won the Pulitzer Prize) and is the only one never produced on Broadway.  Until now.

James sent me this recipe several weeks ago, having baked this delicacy for the company’s first Wine and Unwind.  I’m only just getting around to posting it, while in the interim James and the company have rehearsed, teched and had their first preview on Broadway! (Oh, and they celebrated some holidays in there too.)  Opening night is January 19, 2017, so get your tickets now!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Sweet Potato Frosting
(with thanks to fellow stage manager Buzz Cohen)

1 pound (453 g) zucchini (about 4 small), trimmed
2½ cups (360 g) white whole wheat flour
½ cup (48 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1½ cups (312 g) sugar
1 cup (245 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
½ cup (112 g) grapeseed or other neutral oil
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (180 g) semisweet chocolate chips

Sweet Potato Frosting:
1 (15-ounce; 425-g) can pure sweet potato puree
10 ounces (283 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:
1. To make the cake: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°F. Coat a 9 x 3 x 2-inch cake pan or dish with nonstick cooking spray. If you’re using a metal pan, line the bottom and sides with foil or parchment paper and spray again.

2.  Set a box grater on some paper towels and grate the zucchini on the large holes. Spread it out on the paper towels, top with more paper towels, and press gently to remove excess moisture.

3.  Sift the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk the sugar, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a medium bowl until very smooth. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Whisk, gradually drawing in the dry ingredients, just until smooth. Fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips with a silicone spatula until evenly incorporated. Spread the batter in an even layer in the prepared pan.

4.  Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top springs back a little when lightly pressed with a fingertip, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a rack.

5.  While cake is cooling, make the frosting: Bring the sweet potato puree to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Cool, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is at room temperature and the consistency of canned frosting. It should hold soft peaks when you lift the spatula from the pan but not be stiff. Spread the frosting all over the top of the cake, creating swoops and swirls.

*Make ahead notes: The cake is best the day it’s made, when the chocolate chips are still a bit melty and the frosting is soft, but it will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.*carra-patterson-and-andre-holland Carra Patterson and Andre Holland

brandon-dirdenBrandon Dirden in a sugar coma . . .

Ancho Chile Brownie Cookies

Chocolate, Cookies April 17, 2016 Leave a comment

The Backstage Baker is still in San Diego at the Old Globe Theater.  But now that tech and previews for Rain are over, he’s had time to bake again.  As he told me, “Inspired by the tastes and flavors of being so close to Mexico I made some Ancho Chili Brownie Cookies.”

IMG_3292
Ancho-Chile Brownie Cookies on the tech table.  (Headset, God mic and Altoids to the right.)

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 healthy teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 -3/4  teaspoon ground ancho chile pepper (depending how much heat you like)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups semisweet chocolate pieces
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl stir together flour, cocoa powder, salt, cinnamon, and ground chile pepper. Set aside.

In a large bowl beat butter and margarine. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, and baking soda. Stir until combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Add the flour mixture. Stir in chocolate pieces and almonds.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons about 3 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are firm.

Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer cookies to wire racks; cool.

Makes about 4 dozen

IMG_3277
Cast members Betsy Morgan, Marie-France Arcilla, Jeremy Davis, Rusty Ross, Mike Sears, Eden Espinosa the final day in the rehearsal room. Rehearsal set in the background.

 

Sadie Thompson Brownies (now with more cherry!)

Bars, Chocolate, Wine and Unwind March 13, 2016 Leave a comment

The Backstage Baker has gone Hollywood!  Well, sort of.  He’s in San Diego at the Old Globe Theater stage managing a new musical called Rain.  (Read more about it here.)

It seems only fitting, and just a little bit naughty, to share this recipe for Cherry Brownies, herewith renamed “Sadie Thompson Brownies,” that James served at his first Wine and Unwind for the cast and creatives of Rain at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego.

Now Rain has had a long and storied history both onstage and on film.  Based on a scandalous 1921 short story written by Somerset Maugham about a prostitute named Sadie Thompson and the missionary who rapes her (okay, I’m taking gigantic liberties with the intricate plot)  it first premiered as a Broadway show in 1923 with Jeanne Eagels starring as Sadie Thompson. (Lee Strasberg called her Sadie “One of the great performances of my theater-going experience . . .  An inner, almost mystic flame engulfed Eagels and it seemed as if she had been brought up to some new dimension of being.”  This from the man known as the Father of Method Acting!)  In 1928, Gloria Swanson produced and starred in the silent picture version called Sadie Thompson.  Joan Crawford and Rita Hayworth also starred in later iterations of this story.

It’s a plum, er, a cherry of a role!

(For those of you who want to know, the wine was a Sangiovese with a hint of cherry.)

Sadie Thompson Brownies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup boiling water
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped dried cherries

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees . Grease a 9 x13 inch pan and then dust with cocoa powder for extra chocolatey-ness. (You can use flour instead if you prefer.)

In a large bowl, stir together the cocoa and baking soda. Add 1/3 cup vegetable oil and boiling water. Mix until well blended and thickened. IT will get thick!  Stir in the sugar, eggs, and remaining 1/3 cup oil. Finally, add the flour, vanilla and salt; mix just until all of the flour is absorbed. Add the cherries. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

Cherry Brownies1
The actor Tally Sessions who plays Alec MacPhail. Costume research in the background.

CherryBrownies2
The director Barry Edelstein

CherryBrownies3
The actress Betsy Morgan who plays Louisa MacPhail and the pan of disappearing brownies. She was recently in Michael John LaChiusa’s FIRST DAUGHTER SUITE at The Public.

CherryBrownies4
Associate Music Director Tim Splain, Actor Jeremy Davis who plays Jo, and book writer Sybille Pearson. Scenic ground plans on the back wall.