Tuesday, October 27, 2009

TWD - Cherry-Fudge Brownie Tart



Excuse the paper plate...I served this one at work

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie exploration of Baking From My Home to Yours was hosted by April of Short + Rose. This was one of those recipes where I wasn't quite certain how the finished product would taste. It tasted pretty good!

I made the following mistakes/changes:
  • I didn't use alcohol (although I considered using orange juice, I boiled my dried cherries in water)
  • I didn't notice the recipe called for 12 ounces of mascarpone, and since I had already been to the grocery store four times on the day I made this, there was no way I was going again, so I made 2/3 of the topping recipe. It was plenty.
  • I forgot to add 1/2 cup of sugar to the melted chocolate, and I was glad I did. It didn't need more sugar. I used bittersweet feves and semi-sweet chips and thought it was too sweet.
  • I didn't wash and dry the pan before putting the cake back in it.
I sprinkled on some Valrhona crunchy chocolate pearls for decoration instead of dusting it with cocoa, and they added a nice flavor and texture contrast. I found them at Whole Foods (springform but you can order 2.2 pounds of them from Chocosphere. Don't taste them out of the little plastic tub because you may discover they are swell on their own, and there goes your fancy decorating idea. Not that that happened here. Nooo.

Thanks, April, for a great pick. It disappeared soon after I put it out at work.

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Lethally Delicious is on vacation, so I may not be able to visit your blogs for a few days. Can you guess where in the world we are???

16 comments:

natalia said...

Wonderful tarte ! We enjoied it too !!

Paula said...

The crunchy chocolate pearls sound interesting. I'll have to look for them next time I'm at Whole Foods.

April said...

Thank you so much for baking with me this week! I'm glad it was a hit, the pearls look so cool. What a neat idea.

Soy*Baby said...

It looks delicious. I was undecided about making this brownie but in the end decided it was okay. Loved the mousse topping.

Megan said...

I'll be sure NOT to try the chocolate pearls on their own - you know, just in case I like them.

That would be wrong.

Hindy said...

Your torte looks great! I'm glad it was a hit.
Can't wait to hear where you've been.

Katrina said...

I would not have realized that was a paper plate--it's a pretty one.
And your torte looks de-lish! Love the pearls on top.
I made mine in little ramekins (portion control!) and didn't use cherries at all. Fun twist. Loved the brownies.

Anonymous said...

Your slice of torte looks great! I keep seeing the pearls and debate about buying them. I should just get them.

Steph said...

I'm glad this was loved at work! I wish I was on vacation right now.

margot said...

It looks yummy with the little chocolate crunchies (which of course I'll look for at Whole Foods now). I had to laugh about the four trips to the grocery store; I'm so glad there's one a quarter mile from my house, I'm constantly forgetting things.

Anonymous said...

It looks great! The chocolate pearls are a great idea for decorating. I'm laughing that you disclosed that you didn't wash the pan.

Pamela said...

Looks mighty yummy.

Liz said...

I love those crunchy Valrhona balls of crack! We have them at work and I regularly snack on them...nom nom nom. Wish I'd thought to put them on my torte.

Anonymous said...

Your brownie torte looks wonderful! It looks so thick. The crunchy chocolate pearls sound fab too! I almost didn't wash and dry the pan either, but ended up doing it.
I'm guessing you're vacationing in Paris! =)

Nancy/n.o.e said...

I hope you had a lovely vacation, Leslie! This torte is beautiful, even if it did necessitate a few trips to the store and a few steps in the baking. I loved it and after thawing it out to serve this week, I have one tiny piece left that will not last the weekend.

Di said...

Yum. This is definitely one of my favorite TWD recipes. I used cranberries instead of cherries, and it was fabulous.