To reflect this, for sheer chicness, elegance and luxury, chocolatiers’ boutiques in Paris are on a par with those of the most exclusive couturiers. On a visit to Paris a few years ago, strolling through the tiny winding streets, we were regularly assailed by seductive aromas of warm chocolate wafting from one jewel-like chocolatier after another. Following our noses we were then transfixed by the window displays. Each boutique must vie with the others to see who can present the most strikingly unique and tantalizing shopfront. On the way from our apartment to the Métro we regularly passed the establishment of artisan chocolatier, Jean-Charles Rochoux. Situated in the sixth arrondissement, his display window was a treasure chest of meticulously handcrafted chocolates of many varieties, as well as stunning chocolate sculptures and figurines of everything from animals to busts of the famous, such as Beethoven and Victor Hugo. He achieves the latter masterpieces by creating his own moulds and then working the chocolate as a sculptor would work bronze. If you didn’t know they were chocolate, you might be tempted to display them above the fireplace (until you lit the fire at least). On his website Jean-Charles Rochoux states that “chocolate is a gently seductive drug, which marks the sweet hours of existence, bitter like the sorrows it consoles, but more marked than the love it inspires”. Clearly a master of poetry as well as chocolate.

Aside from popping over to Paris for a taste or two of chocolat à la Française, one of the best ways I know to consume it is in chocolate brownies. There is little in terms of gastronomic hedonism that quite matches these lush little chunks. Baked to perfection with a crisp crunchy top that gives way with the slightest pressure of the teeth to a glorious ambrosia of rich chocolatey velvet, these are the epitome of lusciousness. Here’s where the prudent would insert the phrase “consume in moderation”, which I’ve always found oxymoronic, like saying sin with restraint. I’ve already posted about them in “Perfect Chocolate Brownie“, but such is the level of my obsession, I’m doing it again! 

As with much culinary history, a thicket of myths and legends has sprung up around the question of how and when brownies originated. Some suggest baking blunders inadvertently led to their creation, one being that a chef added melted chocolate to biscuits, another that a cook ran out of flour and yet another that a housewife forgot to add baking powder to her chocolate cake.

History aside, there has also been dissension about what constitutes the “perfect” brownie. Schools of thought generally fall into two camps – the “fudgies” and the “cakies”, inner texture being the distinguishing criterion, in other words whether they’re gooey inside or more like cake. While the consensus seems to favour the fudgy version, it’s really a matter of individual taste. Either way, they are rich, dense and very chocolatey.

What differentiates fudgy from cakey are the proportions of ingredients used (butter, chocolate, flour, eggs) and baking technique. To achieve fudgy brownies with moist centres, you need more butter and chocolate, less flour, extra egg yolks and they should be baked at a lower temperature for a shorter time. To achieve cakey brownies with light airy centres, you need less butter and chocolate, whole eggs and more flour, plus baking powder, and they should be baked at a higher temperature for longer.

Other Tips

• A metal pan is preferable to glass or ceramic, as it conducts heat more evenly
• To melt butter and chocolate, place it in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until glossy, or microwave in short bursts of 20 seconds, stirring between each one
• Brownies continue to cook as they cool, so be careful not to overcook
• You can use either salted or unsalted butter but adjust the amount of salt added accordingly
• Baking time varies between 25-30 minutes approximately depending on the desired texture
• To determine “doneness”, the toothpick test should show lots of moist crumbs for fudgy brownies, a few crumbs for cakey brownies and the mixture should be slightly jiggly in the centre
• When perfectly cooked, the mix should be slightly puffed up with a glossy, crackly top (which is achieved by ensuring the sugar is completely dissolved by mixing thoroughly with the eggs before adding the flour).
• Allow brownies to completely cool before cutting
• For a clean cut, use a large sharp knife and dip it into warm water and wipe between each cut
• Chocolate should be bittersweet, i.e. containing 70% cocoa solids
• If using cocoa powder, best results are obtained with unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder
• I’ve sometimes found the sweetness of brownies overwhelms the chocolate flavour, in which case you could reduce the amount of sugar or use a higher strength chocolate 
• Add-ons can include essentially anything you fancy, for example chocolate chips (these contain stabilisers so they remain whole in the cooked brownie), nuts (toasting them first adds to the flavour) or peanut butter, which as a peanut butter addict, I must try.

The great appeal of brownies is their intense chocolatey flavour. Different theories dictate different ways of achieving this. Some advocate using only cocoa powder, others recommend a mix of cocoa powder and chocolate, and still others insist on chocolate only. In terms of the chocolate, while there’s agreement that it should be bittersweet (70% cocoa at least), there are variations on how it should be added. Many recipes advise melting the chocolate together with the butter, but there are some which favour adding unmelted chopped chocolate into the batter as the last step, thereby giving the lucky consumer the chance to encounter semi-melted chunks of whole chocolate as they munch. The addition of a teaspoon of espresso powder adds another dimension to the chocolate taste while remaining undetectable itself.

While this isn’t a recipe blog, I was incapable of writing about brownies and looking at images of them without being compelled to make (or more to the point eat) some. In case you are similarly affected, here is the recipe I used, which has been adapted from one called “Perfect Shiny Crust Fudge Brownies” on the website Scientifically Sweet. They came out, as the recipe suggests, perfectly, with a crisp shiny crust and deep velvety fudgy interior.

Perfect Shiny Crust Fudge Brownies

Ingredients

• 170g bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped
• 113g salted butter
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar (you could lessen this amount if you prefer a less sweet version)
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• ¼ cup (30g) unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt (1/2 teaspoon if using unsalted butter)
• ½ cup (71g) all-purpose flour

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F or 177°C
2. Line a 7×7 inch or 8×8 inch square metal baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2inch overhang at each side
3. In a large bowl over a pot with simmering water, stir together chocolate and butter until completely melted, smooth and glossy. You can also melt it in the microwave in 20 second bursts, stirring each time. Set aside and keep warm.
4. Combine eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat with a wire whisk or handheld mixer for about 2 minutes until pale, thick and slightly fluffy.
5. Mix in vanilla and salt.
6. Add the warm melted chocolate mixture and mix well with a spatula or whisk until evenly combined. The mixture should become glossy when the chocolate is thoroughly incorporated.
7. Sift in flour, cocoa and espresso powder to remove any lumps and fold in gently until well incorporated and mixture is smooth.
8. Mix in any optional ingredients, e.g. nuts, chocolate chips
9. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth out the surface.
10. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the mixture is slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted in the top comes out with moist crumbs attached.
11. Transfer pan to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before slicing.