Tomato Tart

While it's not tomato season yet in Michigan, the farmers market is starting to have some very nice greenhouse tomatoes that are actually pretty good. I've picked up a few over the last couple weeks and have been quite happy with them, on sandwiches or salads. Over the winter I've forgotten how much I love having fresh tomatoes around, they are so useful and so delicious. They may not be fresh from the garden, still warm from the sun tomatoes, but I am happy with them for now, and they worked perfectly in this tomato tart.

This tart is basically just a pizza in a different form, and it was delicious. Spreading an entire head of roasted garlic on the crust is a brilliant start. Since I had mozzarella in the freezer, I used that instead of the Fontina which was called for. I would have loved to use Fontina, but the mozzarella was still very good. Fresh basil on top was the perfect finishing touch. I thought this tart was just wonderful, and I can't wait to make it again with my very own tomatoes, fresh from the garden.

Tomato Tart
From Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook
Ingredients

• 1 head garlic

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• All purpose flour for dusting

• 1/2 recipe Pate Brissee (recipe follows)

• 3/4 cup grated Fontina or mozzarella (about 3 ounces)

• 1 1/2 pounds ripe but firm tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick

• course salt and freshly ground pepper

• 12 fresh basil leaves

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the garlic on a piece of foil; drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Fold the foil up around the garlic, sealing the edges, and place on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven until golden brown and the tip of a sharp knife easily pierces the flesh, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees. When garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the clovees out of their skins and into a small bowl, mash with fork and set aside.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a 13 inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Fit the dough into a 10 inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom, pressing into the edges. Using a rolling pin or a sharp paring knife, trim dough flush with the top edge of the tart pan; chill tart shell until firm, about 30 minutes.

Spread roasted garlic evenly on the bottom of the chilled shell. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese. Arrange the tomato slices in an overlapping circular pattern on top of the cheese, working from the out edge toward the center. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese, and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil.

Reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees. Bake tart until crust is golden and tomatoes are soft but still retain their shape, 45 to 55 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Thinly slice basil leaves lengthwise. Sprinkle tart with basil, and serve warm.

Pate Brisee
Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces

• 1/4 cup ice water, plus more if needed

Directions
In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt; pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds. (To mix by hand, combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then cut in butter with a pastry blender or two fork.)

With the machine running, add the ice water through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream, just until the dough holds together with out being wet or sticky. Do not process more than 30 seconds. Test by squeezing a small amount of the dough together; if it is still to crumbly, add a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Turn out the dough onto a clean work surface. Divide in half, and place each half on a piece of plastic  wrap. Shape into flattened disks. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour, or overnight. The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.

Meatballs with Edamame and Lemon

Going to the library is one of my all time favorite things to do. I love to read, and am in the middle of some novel or memoir at all times. When arriving at the library, I have a pretty set routine; I start by heading over to the new books section to check out what new fiction has come in since my last visit, then I shift over to the non-fiction, usually looking for a memoir that might catch my eye, and last but not least I check out the new cookbooks to see if I can be inspired by something new.

A few weeks ago I picked up a new cookbook called Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, it was just too pretty to ignore. I'll admit, I'm usually more drawn to the baking cookbooks, but for whatever reason this one intrigued me and I started flipping through it. It's a beautiful cookbook filled with mouthwatering recipes from the authors' hometown of Jerusalem. I decided I had to take it home with me in order to try something I had never had before.

It took me a while to decide which fabulous looking recipe to try, but I finally settled on this meatball recipe. It sounded hearty and fresh and perfect for a spring dinner. To make a long story short, it turned out fantastically, absolutely delicious and filled with new and intriguing flavor combinations. It was the perfect choice, and made me want to make everything else in the book too.

I only got a couple of so-so pictures of the final dish, but I think you can at least get some idea of how it turned out. It may just look like a pot of meatballs, but the textures and flavors were so new to me and made my tastebuds sing. The only real changes I made were substituting edamame for the fava beans. I searched the grocery store long and hard for fava beans and couldn't find a one, fresh or frozen. I settled for a bag of frozen edamame which I unshelled before using. It seemed to be a very good substitute, even thought I have no real idea of what fava beans are like.

I also had to make my own baharat spice blend since my grocery store doesn't carry that, and the recipe in the book was too intense for my spice cupboard, using whole cinnamon sticks and cumin and coriander seeds, stuff I don't have. Googling 'baharat spice blend' gave me many options which I tweaked to work for me. The resulting mixture is below. It seemed to work well, even though I'm sure using the recipe in the book would have been even more flavorful.

Other than that I followed the recipe to a T and ended up with a restaurant quality meal if I do say so myself. The recipe does have a long list of ingredients, and it did take me quite a while to put together but I think it was totally worth it. So if you are feeling like tackling something a little different, and are willing to spend some time on it, I suggest trying out this simply delicious recipe ASAP.

Meatballs with Edamame and Lemon

Slightly adapted from

Jerusalem

by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 1/3 cups (350 grams) edamame beans (or fava beans, if you can get them, fresh or frozen)
• 4 whole thyme sprigs
• 6 cloves garlic, sliced
• 8 green onions, cut at an angel into 3/4 inch segments
• 2 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 cups chicken stock
• salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons each chopped flat leaf parsley, mint, dill, and cilantro, to finish

Meatballs

• 10 ounces ground beef
• 5 ounces ground lamb
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• scant 1 cup/120 grams bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons each chopped flat leaf parsley, mint, dill, and cilantro
• 2 large cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 teaspoons baharat spice mix (bought, or see recipe below)
• 4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons capers, chopped
• 1 egg, beaten

Directions

Place all of the meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Add 3/4 teaspoons salt and plenty of pepper and mix well with your hands. Form the mixture into meatballs approximately the size of a ping pong ball. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat in a large pan for which you have a lid (I used my Dutch oven). Sear half of the meatballs until brown all over, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan, add an additional 1 1/2 teaspoons of oil and brown the remaining meatballs. Remove from pan and wipe clean.

(If using fresh fava beans, throw them into a pot of salted, boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold water. Remove the skins from half of the fava beans and discard)

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat in the same pan as before. Add the thyme, garlic and green onion and sauté for 3 minutes. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1/3 cup of stock, 1/4 teaspoon salt, plenty of black pepper and the edamame beans (or the

unpeeled

 fava beans, if using). The beans should be almost covered with liquid. COver the pan and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.

Return meatballs to pan. Add the remaining stock, cover the pan and simmer gently for 25 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. If still quite runny, remove lid and reduce a little. The meatballs will absorb a lot of juice, so make sure there is still plenty of sauce. (At this point you can remove the meatballs from the heat and hold until ready to serve. When ready to serve, add a little water, if necessary, to get enough sauce, and continue as below.)

Just before serving, add the remaining herbs, the remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (and the peeled fava beans, if using) and stir gently. Serve immediately.

Baharat Spice Blend

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon coriander
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon cardamom 
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions

Blend all spices together in a small bowl, then use in your favorites dishes. 

Thick and Chewy Sugar Cookies

Lara and I have been on the search for the perfect sugar cookie for some time now. I've tried many different recipes, and while they are all tasty, none of them could deliver the cookie of my dreams. The real problem with all of these recipes wasn't the taste, they all taste like butter and sugar, nothing wrong there, but what was missing was the perfect texture. I like my sugar cookies to be thick and fat, something you can really sink your teeth into, chewy and dense. Not an airy, light and crispy sugar cookie, but that seemed to be all that I could find.

In desperation Lara and I turned to the chowhound forums to see if anyone out there in cyberspace had the answer. There were several people who had ideas for the cookie we were looking for. This recipe was the first one we turned to, and I am glad that we did. They turned out deliciously!! Pretty much exactly what I wanted. They were thick and chewy and so buttery and sweet, with a hint of salt, the perfect combination.

For the first batch of these cookies I just shaped the dough into balls and baked them as is. They turned out fine, but since they didn't spread AT ALL they looked kind of funny, like little buttery rocks. For the subsequent batches then, I pressed the dough down to flattened the cookies a little before baking. This worked great and they turned out wonderfully. This one was a smashing success, it was everything I was looking for in a sugar cookie.

Thick and Chewy Sugar Cookies
Adapted from Emme, via Chowhound
Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup (250 g) granulated sugar 
• 2 sticks (225 g) butter, melted
• 3 egg yolks (large)
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (127 g) bread flour
• 1/4 cup (20 g) nonfat dry milk powder
• 1/4 cup (30-35 g) cornstarch
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions
Cream together the butter and sugar. Add in eggs and vanilla. 

In a separate bowl mix together the dry ingredients. Add to the wet mixture and mix until combined. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least an hour. 

Roll the dough between your hands, forming them into smooth balls. Roll each ball in granulated sugar. Press down each ball of dough with your hand, making them into your desired size cookie (they won't spread much during baking, so don't expect them to change shape much after this). 

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes until almost done, then pull them out and let them finish baking and set  on the baking sheet (5-10 minutes). Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Braided Challah Bread

I've been wanting to try making challah for some time now, but I just couldn't seem to get around to it. Last week I decided it was time to stop coming up with excuses and just do it. I looked at several different recipes for challah, it was difficult to choose one to try, but I finally settled on this recipe I found on The Apron Archives. The pictures were beautiful and the original recipe was from the King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion Cookbook, so I figured I was in good hands. While my loaf turned out beautifully and smelled divine, it was a little dry and overcooked. I think it would be just perfect if it baked for just a little less time. I'm definitely going to try it again and keep my eye on it. But even so, this bread made some fabulous grilled sandwiches, and killer croutons. I think my next experiment will be french toast! Can't wait!

I just love the braided look of this bread, it is so pretty. If you want to know how to achieve this look, head over to The Apron Archives where I got the recipe, she has a great little tutorial on how to do the 4 strand braid. It is really not difficult at all, and makes the finished product so festive looking.

Braided Challah Bread
From The Apron Archives
Ingredients
Quick Starter

• 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
• 1 cup water
• 2 tsps instant yeast

Dough

• All of the starter
• 3 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 3/4 tsps salt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs + 1 yolk (save 1 egg white for the wash, below)

Wash

• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp water

Directions
To make the starter, mix the 1 cup flour, 1 cup water and yeast together in a large bowl. Let the mixture sit for about 45 minutes. Add the dough ingredients to the starter and mix and knead together until a smooth is formed.Place the kneaded dough in a greased bowl, turning it over once to coat both sides. Cover it and let it rise for 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into four even pieces and roll each into a strand about 18 inches long. On a lightly greased or parchment-lined sheet pan, braid the strands. Once your braid is done, make the wash by mixing together the reserved egg white, sugar, and water. Brush the loaf with half the wash. Cover the loaf with lightly greased plastic wrap and allow it to rise again for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until it’s almost doubled in size.

Brush the loaf with the remaining egg wash and bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes, covering with aluminum foil if it starts getting too brown. Remove it from the oven, and cool completely before slicing.

Pork Ragu

Growing up, beef roasts were the traditional Sunday meal in our house. Thrown in a crockpot with some vegetables and left to simmer away all morning while everyone was at church. When we would get home the smell had perfumed the whole house, making everyone's mouth water. Dinner couldn't come fast enough. While I don't eat pot roasts as often as I used to, their smell and taste bring me back to those happy Sunday memories.

Even while beef roasts showed up frequently on the menu at my house, pork roasts were quite uncommon. I think the only time a pork shoulder roast made it home to my house was for a meal of pulled pork, the roast thrown into a crockpot to cook all day while my mom was at work, then finished with a jar of barbecue sauce from the supermarket. Still one of my favorites, even though I now like to jazz it up a little with homemade barbecue sauce and

buns

.

So when I saw this recipe for pork ragu, I decided I had to try it. I love trying new things, and a pork roast that didn't become pulled pork was definitely new. I am so glad I gave this recipe a try, it turned out absolutely delicious. The pork was incredibly tender and moist, the sauce richly flavored with tomatoes, fresh herbs, and wine. Not only that, but it was also very easy to put together. Just toss it in the oven when everything is set and in a few hours all you need to do is boil some pasta and you have a easy and delicious dinner that didn't demand your attention all afternoon in the kitchen. A win-win situation in my book.

Like I said, this ragu is super simple. You just need to brown up the meat for a couple minutes a side (which I didn't do very well this time around, but it still turned out great), and sauté some onions and garlic. Then everything is added to the pot which is placed in the oven for the next 3-4 hours. Whenever you're ready to eat, just boil up some pasta, toss together a salad, and you have a meal!

The leftovers from this ragu were great. You can put it on buns for a pork sandwich, or do what I did and put it on top of a baked sweet potato, delicious! Whatever you decide it will reheat great, so no worries about having too much. Another bonus, my roast only cost me about $7, and I got quite a few meals out of it so this is a great meal if you're on a budget. In other words, there is no reason not to try this recipe, so give it a shot, you won't be disappointed!

Brown up the roast (try to do a better job than me!)

 Everything else, ready to go

(don't you just love fresh herbs!)

 Bubbling and ready for the oven

 Pulling it apart

 Super tender

 I opted for some homemade pasta

Pork Ragu
From: Dinner A Love Story
Ingredients

• 2 to 2 1/2-pound bone-in pork shoulder roast

• 1 small onion, chopped

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• salt and pepper

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 small pat butter

• 1 large can whole tomatoes, with juice

• 1 cup red wine

• 5 sprigs fresh thyme

• 5 sprigs fresh oregano

• Small handful of fennel seeds

• 1 tablespoon hot sauce, for smokiness

• 1-2 pounds of pasta

• Freshly grated Parmesean

Directions
Preheat oven to 325°F. Liberally salt and pepper the pork roast. Add olive oil and butter to large Dutch oven and heat over medium-high until butter melts, but does not burn. Add pork roast to pan and brown on all sides, about 8-10 minutes in all.

Pull out the roast, add the onion and garlic to the pan and sauté for a couple minutes. Add tomatoes, wine, thyme, oregano, fennel, and hot sauce. Return the roast to the pan and bring to a boil. Cover, and put in oven. Braise for 3-4 hours, turning every hour or so. Add more liquid (water, wine, or tomato sauce) if needed. (The liquid should come to about 1/3 of the way up the pork.) Meat is done when it’s practically falling apart. Pull the meat apart with two forks, then add back to pot and stir. 

Cook 1 to 2 pounds of pasta according to package directions. When it’s is ready, put into individual bowls and top with ragu and lots of Parmesan cheese.

Honey Mustard Chicken

Easy, quick and delicious, a perfect combo when it comes to a weeknight meal. This honey mustard chicken is all of that. It only takes a few ingredients, a little bit of prep work and some time in the oven and you have a tasty, satisfying meal that I think just about anyone would enjoy. I don't know about you, but sometimes I want a hearty, filling meal that doesn't take a couple hours to put together, uses what I have in the kitchen and is still full of flavor. I stumbled across this recipe last week and realized that I had chicken in the freezer and some leftover rosemary in the fridge. Since I always have onions, honey and both kinds of mustard on hand I knew I just had to try this. It was a definite do over, a great recipe to hang on to for those days when you don't have the time for much else.

While you could make this recipe without the whole grain mustard, I don't think I would want to, just because it looks so pretty with the little mustard seeds all over the chicken. The combo of whole grain mustard, Dijon mustard, and plenty of honey make for a delicious sauce that gets even better as the juice from the chicken mixes in during baking. The rosemary is beautiful and delicious, but you could probably try thyme too, I think it would work just as well. Other then that there is not much to say. It is a straightforward recipe that turns out a delicious pan of flavorful chicken.

Baked Honey Mustard Chicken
Adapted From: Good Life Eats
Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons grainy, course mustard

• 3 tablespoons smooth Dijon mustard

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 sweet onion, sliced thin

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• About 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins

• salt and pepper

• 4 small sprigs of fresh rosemary

Directions
In a small bowl, combine the mustards, honey, and the olive oil.

Sauté onion over medium heat until golden and tender, 5-10 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional 1 - 2 minutes, until fragrant.

Transfer onion mixture to a baking dish. Place the chicken on top of the onion and garlic mixture. Salt and pepper the tops of the chicken according to your personal preference.

Pour the honey mustard mixture on top of the chicken. Arrange the rosemary sprigs around the chicken in the pan.

Bake the chicken covered at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes. Then remove the cover, baste the chicken with the sauce, and continue to cook for an additional 5-10 minutes uncovered, until the chicken registers 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer.

Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies

I think I've said it before, but I'll say it again, chocolate chip cookies are one of my all time favorites. I'm always on the lookout for a good chocolate chip cookie recipe. I have several great recipes in my recipe book, but there is always room for one more, right? Choosing a favorite recipe would be impossible, they are all delicious in their own way. When I saw this recipe from Rebecca LaMalfa, an executive sous chef in Chicago, I just had to give it a try. This is her version of the classic, inspired by her mom's recipe. It's a pretty basic recipe, with one small twist, old-fashioned oats that you grind up in the food processor that give the cookies a slightly different flavor and texture than regular chocolate chip cookies. They turned out delicious, the perfect recipe to try when you want the classic, with a twist!

In this recipe, she calls for you to make 12 large cookies. These would be absolutely huge, like what you get at the bakery or coffee shop. Since I don't need cookies even close to that large, I cut back on their size as I shaped them. I think I baked them for slightly less time then, but I don't exactly remember how long. If you end up making smaller cookies, set your timer for a little less time and go from there until they are done to your liking. Whatever size you decide upon, they will be wonderful and soft. There are no slightly crispy edges here, just all soft and chewy, perfect to sink your teeth into.

Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies

From 

Rebecca LaMalfa

 via Tasting Table

Ingredients

• 2½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• 1 cup light brown sugar (lightly packed)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

To the bowl of a food processor, add the old-fashioned rolled oats. Pulse the oats until semi-fine--there should be a few larger bits, but most of the oats will be finely ground, about twelve 1-second pulses. Add the oats to a large mixing bowl. 

Set a fine-mesh sieve over the bowl, and to it add the all-purpose flour, baking soda and baking powder Sift the flour mixture over the oats. To the flour mixture add the kosher salt and use the whisk to combine the dry ingredients.

To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, light brown sugar and granulated sugar. Beat the mixture on medium-low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until airy and pale in color, about 2 minutes. 

Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and add one egg. Once the egg is well incorporated, stop the mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Turn the mixer back on to medium-low and add the remaining egg.

Once the egg is incorporated, add the vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until well combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour-oat mixture. Once the flour-oat mixture is mostly combined, add the semisweet chocolate chips. Mix just to combine the chips. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl.

Use a large spoon to divide the cookie dough into 12 pieces about the size of a golf ball, rolling the dough in your hands to make a well-formed ball. Set the cookies about 2 inches apart on the parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and bake for 6 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet and bake until golden-brown around the edges and still soft in the center, about 6 minutes longer.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet until set, about 5 minutes. Use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to the wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough. The cookies keep for up to 3 days stored at room temperature in an airtight container. (The cookie-dough balls can also be frozen on a baking sheet, then transferred to a resealable freezer bag and frozen for up to 3 months before baking.)

Fudgy Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting

I don't know about you, but one of my go-to desserts when I don't have a lot of time is a delicious pan of rich, chocolatey brownies. Not just any brownies though, I need my brownies to be fudgy and full of chocolate flavor. No longer will I make brownies that are full of cocoa powder, without any chocolate in sight. No, I need there to be lots of melted chocolate to go along with the butter and sugar and eggs. These brownies have just that. With half a pound of melted chocolate for a 9x9 inch pan of brownies, these are definitely chocolatey! They are perfect with just a dusting of powdered sugar on top, but if you're feeling adventurous, try frosting them to put them over the top. Peanut butter frosting, mocha frosting, ganache, or like I did this time, cream cheese frosting. They will all be fantastic because of the delicious brownie at the base.

Not only are these brownies delicious, they are also super easy. All you have to do is melt the butter and chocolate in a pan on the stove (or the microwave works too), let it cool for a minute or two, and add in the rest of the ingredients. Mix it all up, pour it in the pan, and bake. Super simple, but oh so yummy! 

Fudgy Brownies

Adapted from 

Hidden Ponies

Ingredients

• ½ cup butter
• 1⅓ cups (8 oz) good chocolate
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ¾ cup flour
• ½ teaspooon espresso powder (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch square or round pan thoroughly with nonstick cooking spray.

Place butter and semi-sweet chocolate in a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute, then in additional 30 second increments if necessary until chocolate is mostly melted. Stir to melt chocolate completely.

Whisk sugar, salt, and eggs into chocolate mixture just until combined (don’t overbeat, or the brownie will rise too high and then fall).

With a wooden spoon, stir in flour until no streaks remain.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes (until center is just barely set and toothpick comes out with a few crumbs sticking to it). Do not overbake.