Brownie Puddle

I paused in the middle of making cake-of-the-week on Friday to bake a brownie puddle from Beranbaum's Pie and Pastry Bible. I've made it before, and for the same occasion, I think--my sister-in-law's birthday. As cake-of-the-week involves coconut and she doesn't like that, the brownie puddle was a much better choice.

It's the same recipe as the Barcelona Brownie Bars in Rose's Heavenly Cakes but I think better, as the bar shape was prone to overbaking. As a 9-1/2" tart the brownie stays fudgy. The "puddle" part is a dark chocolate ganache spooned into holes punched into the brownie while hot--you keep spooning in ganache as long as the hot brownie absorbs it. (Or maybe a bit longer as my overfilled holes show...)

Lots of pecans, fudgy brownie, ganache, some whipped cream to set off the chocolate intensity...you can't lose making this for a chocoholic. I also grilled herbed barbecue turkey thighs for the entree for Friday dinner, handed over the latest Nora Roberts, just checked out of the library, and let s-i-l escape with the book for some quiet time instead of being dragged into the game of Settlers of Catan I played with my nephew after dinner. Happy Birthday!