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Le Pain Quotidien's Belgian Brownies


genarog

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From the link you provided: "Here is the recipe, adapted for use at home". So maybe the amount of batter per brownie has been scaled to the pans most people would have at home. Or maybe they have molds that use that amount of batter but produce a different shape. They may just use jumbo muffin pans to get the larger diameter, the recipe says the brownies fall as they cool so that would explain not having the domed top and being less tall than the usual muffin.

It's kinda like wrestling a gorilla... you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is tired.

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I've never seen these so it's just a guess but since they have a lot of tarts on their menu I'm guessing that they put the liners into individual tart rings and then bake. I don't think the liner alone is strong enough to prevent spreading.

Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Orison Swett Marden

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That's a muffin top pan. It just makes muffin tops, not whole muffins.

I wouldn't recommend using tarte molds, because the sides of the mold are usually 45 degrees (slanted) whereas muffin cups are 90 degrees (horizontal).

You could use buttered tarte molds alone, no liner. That would work well, albeit quite a bit of prep work (buttering the molds, portioning the batter, cleaning the molds after baking, etc.).

Edited by fooey (log)

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Brünnhilde, so help me, if you don't get out of the oven and empty the dishwasher, you won't be allowed anywhere near the table when we're flambeéing the Cherries Jubilee.

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I wouldn't recommend using tarte molds, because the sides of the mold are usually 45 degrees (slanted) whereas muffin cups are 90 degrees (horizontal).

Here's an example of a tart "ring":

Tart ring

The sides are straight up and down.

Edited by CanadianBakin' (log)

Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Orison Swett Marden

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I'd go for CanadianBakin's tarte rings. They can be used for all sorts of stuff, like English muffins and making perfectly round fried eggs. I use a 3" one to make hamburgers. I put a mold on the counter, drap a large piece of saran wrap over the mold, fill with mold with hamburger, press on the meat to mold it to the shape of the ring, then fold over the plastic wrap to cover, then I smack it on the counter, just because it's fun. :laugh:

J. B. Prince has 5 pages of rings, so hide you credit cards before clicking on Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, or Page 5.

What does this have to do with brownies, fooey? :blink:

Oh, yes, re: muffin top pan. When I see mine in the pantry, I ask, "Now why did I buy this single-purpose thingy again? I don't even like muffin tops."

Finding liners for the muffin top pan will be a task. If you can find them, buy a lifetime supply, as the muffin top fad is going, going, gone, to be replaced by bespoke cupcakes. Chocolate cupcakes filled with cinnamon-spiced vanilla custard, topped with tangerine buttercreme and garnished with candied orange peel, anyone? Oh la la!

Small tart molds, while they can make all sorts of neat tart thingies (like Vongerichthen's Chocolate Chinese 5-spice tarts), are a pain in the bazooka to clean, they rust, you lose the removable bottom thingies (worse than losing socks to a hungry clothes dryer!), but they're cheap.

Edited by fooey (log)

Fooey's Flickr Food Fotography

Brünnhilde, so help me, if you don't get out of the oven and empty the dishwasher, you won't be allowed anywhere near the table when we're flambeéing the Cherries Jubilee.

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I just made Le Pain Quotidien's brownies as per the recipe posted here. I didn't get a crusty top :sad: . They are more like a souffle... and no I didn't overbeat - just mixed.

Anyone else make this recipe? What were your results? They're tasty - but I don't know if I would make them again.

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It sounds like you got the right texture, according to what The Wednesday Chef says about them:

Described as "brownies" by both Le Pain Quotidien and the Los Angeles Times, these little chocolate cakes are soft and creamy on the inside with a thin top crust that shatters under pressure. As far as I'm concerned, "brownies" is a misnomer. These are airy (practically flourless) delights that aren't fudgy or cakey or any of the other characteristics that have people's emotions running high when the virtues of a good brownie come up in conversation.

That's not a brownie recipe, IMO, with that egg:flour ratio.

Edited by fooey (log)

Fooey's Flickr Food Fotography

Brünnhilde, so help me, if you don't get out of the oven and empty the dishwasher, you won't be allowed anywhere near the table when we're flambeéing the Cherries Jubilee.

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Well I served these little treats to friends tonight (with my Thermomix dulce de leche poured over them - yum!). I got a very positive reaction. I dare to say - an over the top reaction. They were much better once completely cool. Still not brownies, but with over 1 cup of butter and 9 oz. of chocolate - how can you really go wrong?!

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I just made Le Pain Quotidien's brownies as per the recipe posted here. I didn't get a crusty top :sad: . They are more like a souffle... and no I didn't overbeat - just mixed.

Anyone else make this recipe? What were your results? They're tasty - but I don't know if I would make them again.

Did you use a regular muffin cup, or mini-tart pans? I'm just wondering which might provide a better texture.

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I used regular muffin cups - albeit, jumbo size paper liners to get the largest base. I used 1/4 cup of batter per liner. The recipe made 16 for me. I think a larger diameter and less height would result in more of a brownie experience... well, sort of... It's just that the texture is soooooooo soft.

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I used regular muffin cups - albeit, jumbo size paper liners to get the largest base. I used 1/4 cup of batter per liner. The recipe made 16 for me. I think a larger diameter and less height would result in more of a brownie experience... well, sort of... It's just that the texture is soooooooo soft.

Yes, it's gotta be wide and shallow. Still, I haven't bought the tart rings yet so I don't know whether this recipe is close to what the bakery makes. I usually make this non-related brownie recipe minus the walnuts and plus cocoa; it's very soft in texture and tastes like an explosion of butter and chocolate that sometimes is too much.

Edited by genarog (log)
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