SWEET INDULGENCE

The past few days have been cold, and I mean really cold.  Cold to the point where it hurts your face to go outside.  When the weatherman says 15 degrees, feels 1 with the wind chill, beware!  It is weather like this that inspires me to stay in and bake.  Yesterday I decided to attempt some homemade brownies.  The result was such yummy, fudge-y goodness that I felt the need to share the recipe found on one of my favorite recipe sites, epicurious.com.  The recipe was published in Gourmet Magazine in February 2000 and originated from the Farm of Beverly Hills.  The Farm's brownies were named "Best Brownies in Los Angeles" by Los Angeles Magazine 2005.  If you are craving something chocolate-y, perhaps in time for Valentine's Day, or perhaps because your pregnant, I highly suggest these brownies (TT).

Ingredients

• 3 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 12 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
• 6 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
• 3 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 13- by 9- by 2-inch metal baking pan, knocking out excess flour. Melt butter with chocolate in a large metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove bowl from pan and whisk in eggs, 1 at a time. Sift together flour and cocoa powder in a separate bowl and stir into batter with sugar and salt. Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven until top is firm and a tester inserted into center comes out with crumbs adhering, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 2 hours, before cutting into 20 squares.

Good with a tall glass of milk.