Smells Like Victory

Breaking news: Pat has finally made something at KLB that was a complete success with almost no screw-ups. Why? Because I finally got to use eggs.

I’ve tried no less than three eggless brownie recipes since I got here, and they all have fallen far short of expectations. In fact, the last one I tried was burnt on the edges and way too gooey in the middle, yet it still qualified as the best one yet. Then Principal Ramdev asked me to make a recipe using eggs. While most of the people here are vegetarian and choose not to consume eggs, some are not, and it was those people to whom I was catering.

I just so happen to have a fantastic, simple and delicious brownie recipe up my sleeve that I have been using for the past couple of years without fail. It always turns out great, it’s forgiving if your measurements aren’t exact, and you can even cook it in a microwave if you find yourself without a decent oven. Now the ultimate test for this infallible confectionary was to see if it would pull through in KLB’s canteen kitchen.

Pat’s Basic Brownie Recipe (non-veg)

½ cup butter (4 ounces, 1 American stick, 120ml or 125g)
½ cup cocoa (120ml or about 50g)
1 cup sugar (240ml or about 200g)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla (5ml, but this is optional, as the brownies are so chocolate-y)
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp cayenne pepper or chili powder (trust me…)
½ cup flour (120ml or about 60g)

1. Melt the butter. While it is still warm, whisk in the cocoa until smooth.
2. Roughly whisk in the sugar until completely uniform.
3. Beat the eggs in a separate container, then whisk them in slowly, about 1/3 at a time, until fully incorporated.
4. Whisk the salt, cayenne or chili and vanilla thoroughly.
5. Fold in the flour. Before adding the flour, you can whisk the mixture as much as you like with no ill effect. Once you add the flour, stir it in with a spatula only until all the dry ingredients are combined, not a second longer.
6. Bake in a greased 8”x8” (20cm x 20cm) pan placed in a preheated 350 degrees Fahrenheit/180 degrees Celsius for 25-30 minutes.

This recipe works even if you have white buffalo butter that tastes different, whole-wheat flour, no vanilla, too-coarse sugar and a curious audience of Indian girls. While making it, I just felt so much more confident than I have in the past couple of weeks because I knew this recipe so well and I have done it so many times before that none of the obstacles bothered me. Even the poorly insulated oven couldn’t ruin it. The edges were a bit crisp and it took closer to 35 minutes to bake fully, but the results were still fantastic.

I got about 20 pieces out of a double batch that cost about 120 rupees to make. 6 rupees per piece is a bit more expensive than most sweets around here, and it has eggs, but I don’t care. It’s a good one, and it was my first solid success here. I’m making it again.

By the way, I’d at least double the batch if I were you. It’s kind of small, and these will go pretty fast.