“I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody.”
Katharine Hepburn’s brownies have me thinking of that classic scene in On the Waterfront. Just look at these brownies. Terry Malloy would have eaten them by the fistful — they’re rugged, gnarled, scrappy. But they’ll never get a title shot. No, they get a one-way ticket to Palookaville. Because I already discovered the Perfect Brownie.
I’m sure Katharine Hepburn would be appalled to know that her lovely creation is being made to speak in the voice of Marlon Brando, a man who she admired as an actor, but despised as a human being. How fascinating it would have been to watch Hepburn and Brando work together on a film. She was such a perfect match with so many male leads: Spencer Tracy, Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Humphrey Bogart. Is there a movie that could have cast Hepburn and Brando together, successfully, in the lead roles? I can’t imagine transporting her into the lead role in any of his films, nor can I imagine casting him as the male lead in any of hers. Surely some film could have handled these two titans. But I can’t think of a one.
Maybe, just maybe, Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night? It’s fun to think about….
Let’s get back to the brownies. Think of these as espresso brownies. Actually, in my case, they’d be “Coffee By Design’s ‘Alonzo’s Double Dark’ decaf” brownies, but that title is a bit unwieldy. The coffee flavor is intense, in the best possible way.
I also invented, by happy accident and a bit of laziness, a new technique that may just become permanent. The recipe included several ounces of chopped chocolate. I assumed the chocolate would be melted along with the butter, so I didn’t bother chopping it finely. Well, it was added at the very end, and therefore didn’t have a chance to melt. So it left me with these long shards of chocolate that, when the brownies were eaten warm, offered several veins of gooey chocolate stretching throughout the brownie. At room temperature, these shards of chocolate firmed up and gave the brownie a candy bar-like quality. The brownies are thin, but not precious or delicate, more like the worn hands of an ex-prize fighter: strong, intense, packing a punch.
Visit Lisa’s blog, Surviving Oz, for the recipe or flip to pp. 96-97 of Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours.
Wow, you must really have found your perfect brownie, if something with “long shards” of “gooey chocolate stretching through the brownie” gets a one-way ticket to Palookaville! Mmmm, candy-bar brownie: what a happy accident….
Your brownie looks yummy!
It looks delicious! I loved the coffee in this.
You are a great story teller and I enjoyed reading your writing. I liked the brownies too coffee and all. The first few times I chopped Callebaut bittersweet chocolate and this last time I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chips. Have to say I liked the Callebaut the best. It offered a nice chocolatey, creamy texture to the brownies. You seem to know your movies, so, tell me, which of KH’s is your favorite? I love watching her act. She must have had tons of energy and we know she was brilliant. The brownies? Well, they are brilliant too.
AmyRuth
My all-time favorite Katharine Hepburn movie is The Philadelphia Story. She stars alongside Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. It’s fast-moving and funny — a classic.
Looks wonderful. I love the post, too. Delicious in all aspects.
They look delicious! I loved the taste of coffee in this. Nicely done!
Love your analogy of this brownie as a fighter. It is a rough and tumble piece of dessert. Definitely not delicate.
Beautiful photo! Well done.
I think your brownies are gorgeous!
Hepburn and Brando. Stretch. Stretch. But interesting.
Those brownies look glorious. Long strands of chocolate. PERFECT!!
Shards of partially melted chocolate are NEVER a bad thing, eh? Mmmmmm. I loved this brownie. But then again, how can you ever go wrong with a brownie?
This is my first visit to your blog, and wow, what lovely writing/photography/food styling! I bake well, but it sure doesn’t look as good as it tastes. Yours does, I bet; I am envious.
Hi Amy!
I work for Coffee by Design and I happened upon this post. Wow, these sound great . . . I’ll try the Alanzo’s Double Dark and thanks for the suggestion!
-Kate