“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating”.
~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti, My Own Story
TORTA DI CIOCCOLATA (Italian Style Brownies)
Excerpted from the award inning book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 whole egg
- ¼ cup dark chocolate pieces
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 fresh orange
- ¼ cup walnut pieces
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup unsweetened powdered cocoa
Soften European butter in a bowl until it cuts into small pieces. Break the egg and separate the egg white and the yolk into 2 different bowls. Break chocolate into pieces and place into a glass bowl. Place glass bowl in microwave for 30 seconds, or until melted. (Since microwave times vary, leave on for about 15-30 seconds first.)
Place softened butter and sugar into another bowl. Mix until it comes to a smooth consistency. Add in egg yolk and continue to mix. Add in melted chocolate a little at a time until completely mixed in. Add in flour a small spoonful at a time, continually mixing until blended. Zest the orange, then add in chopped nuts. Mix well. Beat egg white until peaks have formed, and gently fold into chocolate mixture.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a round cake pan or cover with baking paper. Dust bottom with plain breadcrumbs. Pour in batter. Cook in oven for 30 minutes. To be sure it is done, place toothpick in center—it must come out dry. If necessary, cook for 5 more minutes.
When done, remove from oven. Dust serving plate with powdered cocoa. Cut cake into squares and serve with thin orange slice.
copyright 2012 Art of Living,PrimaMedia,Inc/Maria Liberati
Get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition here or in ebook exclusively at Kindle
See you in Charlottesville, Virginia at
March 23rd- signing and sampling at Wine Made Simple
March 24th- signing and cooking demo at The Happy Cook
March 24th- panel discussion on writing a cookbook at Barnes & Noble
For more info or to attend, email: events@marialiberati.com
