Dolce and Gabbana Brownies

"Life is not measured by the breaths we take; But by the moments that take our breath away"

I was saving to make these brownies for a special occasion, but I reckon spending a lazy Sunday with my little boy is a special occasion in itself, so bake out loud I did. 

We buy random things hoping to use them during special occasions; things we don't inherently need but because they are on sale, perhaps they will come handy...someday. We postpone realising our dream, thinking that the right time will come...someday. We are afraid to take risk because the universe out there is virtually unknown, too afraid to lose ourselves if we take the chance. We are too scared to take a leap of faith because extrapolation in normal distribution means a skew in the graph. :)) We have special things for special occasions, obviously we seldom use them because special occasion by virtue of its essential definition means rare or rarity. I am no exception, Im part of the normal distribution. But one thing is for sure, in my scheme of things, I try to level up my playing field a little bit and count my loose coins, ergo, upping my ante. 

These brownies are upping my ante...without trying to lose myself in effect. Lol! The swirl of chocolates and the spread of hazelnut are luxury and a pretence that these are too hard to make. Make no mistake, the core is still brownies, amidst the swirls and the spreads. We are not trying to change the core of what this is, we are just spreading our wings and well, you know now, upping the ante. 

Cafe Fernando made these brownies for Dolce and Gabbana's digital magazine, hence the name. But if you take away the name "Dolce and Gabbana then it is simply 32 inches of gooey-ful goodness of brownies with hazelnut spread and chocolate lace. And hey, they are ridiculously delicious!

Adapted from www.cafefernando.com

Ingredients

For Brownies:

10.5 ounces (300 grams) bittersweet (%70 cacao) chocolate, chopped

2/3 cup (10 tablespoons/150 grams) unsalted butter, plus more for pan

3/4 cup (105 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (35 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1+1/2 cup (300 grams) granulated sugar

5 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For Hazelnut Butter Frosting:

1 14-ounce (400 grams) jar smooth hazelnut butter

For Chocolate Lace Decoration:

4.5 ounces (150 grams) bittersweet (%70 cacao) chocolate, chopped

Method

To make the brownies, adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Butter a 9-by-13-inch rectangular cake pan, line bottom and sides with parchment paper and set aside.

Place the chopped chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler set over hot water and allow to melt slowly, stirring often. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cooled chocolate followed by the vanilla extract, and whisk until combined. Fold in the flour and cocoa mixture with a spatula. Pour the mixture into the baking pan, smooth the top with a spatula and bake for 30 minutes.

Allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then turn out and leave to cool completely on a wire rack. Trim the top crust and half-an-inch from each side and place in the refrigerator until chilled, for about 30 minutes.

To make the hazelnut butter frosting, place the hazelnut butter in a small pot over low heat and stir until it is runny. Pour over cooled brownie, smooth the top with a spatula, place the frosted brownies in the refrigerator and chill completely, for about an hour.

To make the chocolate lace decoration, place the chopped chocolate in the top of a double boiler set over hot water and allow to melt slowly, stirring often. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

Place a 16-inch-long parchment paper on your work surface. Draw an 8-by-12 inch rectangular with a pencil, turn the other side and place it on a baking tray. Pour the melted chocolate into a piping bag fitted with the smallest (about 1 milimeter) plain tip and pipe the lace decoration the size of your brownie. Place the baking tray together with a large offset spatula in the refrigerator and wait until the chocolate is set, for about an hour.

Transfer the brownie on your serving plate. Remove the chocolate decoration from the refrigerator and with the help of a large chilled offset spatula go underneath the decoration, pick it up and place it on the brownie. Heat the blade of a large knife with a heat gun or stick it in a cup of hot water for a few minutes and then wipe off the water (heating the blade helps with cutting through the chocolate decoration without breaking it into pieces), cut the brownie into 12 identical squares and serve.