Steve's Ultimate Chocolate Trifle

I think I might have driven Steve a little nutty with regard to him being in the office on his birthday. But I think he will agree that my badgering was worth it! For Steve's birthday his request was simple, "Something chocolaty". For a few months I've been waiting for the right time to unleash what I think might be the king of chocolaty-ness: A Chocolate Trifle. What's a Chocolate Trifle you ask? Well, it starts with chocolate chip brownies, which are then topped with chocolate mousse, and layered in fresh whipped cream. This process is then repeated twice and when you're finished, you're left with a pristine whipped cream surface on which to sprinkle little curls of decadent Swiss milk chocolate. If this isn't "something chocolaty", I don't know what is.

As sweet as this dessert may be, it is a little bit bittersweet because it will probably be the last I make for Steve on his birthday. I've had the pleasure of working with, and baking for, Steve for the last three years and next Friday will be his last day at SerSol. But today we will not be sad; we will celebrate and stuff our faces with a dessert fit for a king. Here's to you Steve! Thanks for being such a great leader!

Ultimate Chocolate Trifle Recipe

• Double Batch of Ghiradelli's Award Winning Double Chocolate Brownies . This recipe is on the back of the can of Ghiradelli Sweet Ground Chocolate and Cocoa can. Almost any brownies would work with this recipe except for super fudgy ones. I think these work because they are very porus and not too dry.


• 1 batch of Chocolate Mousse (I used this one but I didn't wait 6 hours.)


• 1 1/2 pints of whipped cream, whipped with 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1/4 cup of powdered suger. Be sure to only whip it until very soft peaks form. If you over whip it, just add more cream to soften it up. You don't want it too thick.


• 1/4 cup of milk chocolate curls

Assembly

1. Prepare mousse and refrigerate.

2. Bake the brownies as indicated in the recipe. Cool completely.

3. Prepare whipped cream.

4. Depending on the size of your container, start with a layer of brownies, then top with mousse. If the mousse gets too thick, thin it out with cream. Then top with a layer of whipped cream. Keep layering until you run out of brownies. Whipped cream should be your last layer. Top with chocolate curls.

Serves 25-30

Heaven & Hell Brownies

Yeah, this year Nick decided he's staying the same age. And in honor of his decision, I suggested that I make him brownies again, just like last year. The only difference is that this year I used pecans instead of macadamia nuts but that doesn't matter, right?

I'm not a huge fan of chocolate. In fact, I actually despise chocolate ice cream, but I like these brownies. In fact, I dare say they are the best brownie I've ever made. I saved one for my husband (it was in our vows so I have to!) and as he says these brownies are both from heaven because they taste so amazing and hell because they are so fattening, so that's what I call them. Our son even liked them and he usually shies away from anything that has nuts.
I used Ina Garten's Outrageous Brownie recipe which is from her book, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. However, I substituted three cups of chopped pecans for the walnuts (chopped macadamia nuts are a great substitution too). And, instead of just using 12oz of semisweet chocolate chips, I decided to utilize some of my collection of rouge chips from previous recipes. This was pure genius! I used 4 oz of Toll House chips, 2 oz of mini-chocolate chips, also from Toll House, 4 oz of Callebaut chunks, and the kicker, 2 oz of big, fat Guittard chips. These chips didn't really melt and created little pockets of rich, chunky chocolate flavor. This variety of shapes, favors, and sizes of chocolate chips really makes these brownies special....just like Nick! Happy Birthday!

Heaven and Hell Brownies

1 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
1 pound high-quality semisweet chocolate chips
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (I recommend the following quantities/types of chocolate chips: 4 oz of Toll House regular sized chips, 2 oz of Toll House mini-chocolate chips, 4 oz of Callebaut chunks, 2 oz of big, fat Guittard chips
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee powder
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided (1 cup for batter and 1/4 cup in the chips and nuts)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups chopped pecans, macadamias, cashews, or walnuts - this is totally optional. The brownies will still come out great without the added nuts. Just decrease the cooking time to about 25 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 13 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan. (I use Pam with Flour) Melt together the butter, 1 pound chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate on top of a double boiler. Cool slightly.
Stir together the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature.

Stir together 1 cup of the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the nuts and 12 ounces of chocolate chips with 1/4 cup flour to coat. (FYI - this helps the nuts and chips to be suspended in the batter and not sink to the bottom during cooking.) Then add to the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester just comes out clean. Halfway through the baking, rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Also rotate the pan halfway to ensure even baking. Do not over-bake! Cool thoroughly before cutting into squares. Store in an air tight container.