Earlier this year, local foodie Dara Bunjon welcomed home entertainment and cooking specialist Jessie-Sierra Ross to Jmore’s “The Food Enthusiast” to talk about her new book, “Seasons Around the Table.” [Watch the episode here. | Order “Season Around the Table” here.]
Now, she’s back to share one of her favorite Chanukah recipes — dark chocolate and tahini brownies with gelt.
Enjoy!
Dark Chocolate and Tahini Brownies with Gelt
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (225 g) high-quality baking chocolate, 60% cacao
- 1 stick (115 g) unsalted butter + more for greasing the pan
- 3 Tablespoons (15 g) high-quality cocoa powder
- 3 eggs (about 165 g)
- 1 1/4 cups (250 g) sugar
- 1 teaspoon (4.8 g) vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon (1.5 g) + 1 small pinch (1 g) kosher salt, separated
- 1 cup (128 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons (30 g) tahini paste
- 12–16 candy chocolate coins, peeled
- Gold-gilt food-coloring gel
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a 9-by-9-inch (23 × 23 cm) baking pan with a sheet of parchment to fit the bottom. Butter the sides of the pan. Reserve.
- Break the baking chocolate into chunks and cut the butter into pieces. Melt together the butter and chocolate, either in a double boiler or (in a nonmetallic bowl) in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between sessions. Heat until smooth and creamy.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Place 1/3 cup (80 ml) of this mixture in a separate bowl, add the tahini and 1 tablespoon (8 g) of flour, and stir to combine. This will be the “tahini batter.”
- To the larger bowl of batter, add the melted chocolate and butter, stirring with a rubber spatula or large wooden spoon to combine. This will be the “chocolate batter.”
- Add the rest of the flour and the cocoa powder to the chocolate batter and stir well.
- Pour the chocolate batter into the prepared pan and spread with an offset spatula to smooth.
- Using a spoon, dollop the tahini batter on top of the chocolate batter. Take a spoon, or long skewer, and slightly mix the two batters to create a marbling effect.
- Bake in the oven on the middle rack at 350°F for 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out cleanly from the center.
- Remove from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack.
- Using a paper towel, add a few drops of gold food coloring and then rub onto the front of the peeled chocolate coins.
- After the brownies have cooled for about 10 minutes, sink chocolate coins, evenly spaced, halfway into the top. The coins will soften slightly.
- Let the brownies cool completely, then remove from the pan.
- Cut into squares and plate, or store in a covered container until use.
Dara Bunjon talks sustainable farming, chocolate, and more with farmer, chef, educator and chocolatier Mark Mills of Chocolates and Tomatoes Farm in Middletown.
Dara Bunjon talks with cook, writer and television host Monti Carlo about her new cookbook, "Spanglish: Recipes & Stories," and more.
At a time of economic uncertainty, Yossef's Laffa-Milia, a new kosher restaurant in Owings Mills is thriving.
This lemon and dill salmon recipe from Elite Jakob celebrates the delicious colors, aromas and tastes of spring.