Graveyard Brownies

Last night I had a Halloween party, and in keeping with spirit of the party, I decided to try a themed dessert: Graveyard Brownies. I thought about laying some Lego men around the tombstones for added effect, but ultimately decided to stick with an all-edible item. Then I thought about trying to make marshmallow spider webs or adding gummy worms, but there's something to be said for simplicity - especially with a first effort.

Next year I might try and make something more intricate or build further on this idea. But that's a little while away. In the meantime, I'd welcome comments or ideas for building a better (graveyard) brownie, or other spooky dessert.

WHAT TO GRAB:
2 sticks of butter, plus a tablespoon for greasing
8 ounces of bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts (optional)

FOR THE GRAVEYARD:
1/2 cup of shredded coconut
Green food coloring
Large block of white chocolate
Black icing.


HOW YOU DO IT:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Step 1.5 (optional). If you're using the walnuts, I find cooking them for about 10 minutes helps accentuate their natural flavor.

2. In a double-boiler, melt the butter and chocolate together, then let it cool.*
*When working with chocolate, make sure you don't get any water in the chocolate. It will freeze up and be unworkable!

3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the salt, sugars, and vanilla. Finally, whisk in the chocolate mixture.

4. Fold in the flour in batches, and stir until just combined. If using the walnuts, stir them in now.

5. Butter a 13 by 9 inch baking pan, and line it with buttered parchment paper. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 35 to 40 minutes - or until the top is shiny and beginning to crack. Let it cool.

6. Soften the white chocolate in the microwave - but only just a bit. Carefully carve out small 2 by 4 inch rectangular pieces. Then make angled cuts to the top, and round it out as best you can. Repeat, fifteen times.*
*This step really takes a lot of patience and practice. The chocolate tends not to cooperate.

7. Make a small cut into the brownie, and insert the tombstones, in five rows of three.

8. In a small mixing bowl, combine the shredded coconut with one drop of food coloring.* Mix well, and then sprinkle the coconut around the tombstones.
*Food coloring is mighty stuff. Any more than two drops and you could be eating green brownies - save that for St. Patrick's Day!

9. Squeeze the icing on a fingertip and dot the tombstones. (At first, I thought I'd be writing out "R.I.P." on these tombstones. But that just wasn't going to happen in a one or two inch space of chocolate).

10. Cut 'em up and serve!

Italian Lemon Ice

This recipe is quite possibly my all-time favorite. Any time I have friends over for dinner, I make sure this figures into dessert plans. Often times, no dinner is necessary -- I just tell guests who happen to be over that they've got to try this! And now that they've tried my lemon ice, I make sure to always have a pint stockpiled in the freezer - just in case I have an unannounced guest.

The real secret here is to freeze the ice a second time. For that reason, the ice has to be made two days in advance. There's really no way around it. Here's how you do it.

WHAT TO GRAB:
1 and 1/2 cups of sugar
2 cups of water
1 piece of ginger (like 3 inches long, peeled and chopped into four pieces)
Zest of 2 lemons, chopped
1 cup of lemon juice
Crushed Ice (I use one full ice-cube tray)

HOW YOU DO IT:

1. First things first. Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan, over medium heat, until the sugar dissolves. Like five or ten minutes, but don't let it boil.

2. Dump the ginger into the sugar water, and give it two minutes over the heat. After two minutes, remove the saucepan from the heat, and just let the ginger seep in the hot water. (I like to chop the pieces into four long thin slices to increase the surface area -- I think it helps increase the flavor).

Step 2.5 (Optional). If you really want to impress folks -- and who doesn't? -- you can hollow out the lemons, freeze them, and then present the ice in the frozen lemon shells. This takes some time and some patience, but it does add to the presentation. Cut the lemons at the top 1/3, reserving the tops for later. You should also cut a thin slice from the bottom, so that the lemons will lay flat. Using a tablespoon, hollow out the lemons as best you can, while being sure not to pierce the lemons themselves. Then go ahead and freeze the shells and bring them out as necessary!

3. In the meantime, squeeze your lemons (or the removed pulp). Until you have about 1 cup of strained lemon juice. No seeds or pulp please. This could be about six lemons.

4. Now you're ready to go! Combine the crushed ice, lemon juice, and ginger syrup (minus the ginger!) in a large blender. Give it a whirl. Add the chopped lemon zest, and give it one more whirl.

5. Pour the mixture (essentially lemonade at this point) into three plastic cups. Cover the cups and freeze them overnight.

6. The following day, dump the frozen lemonade cups into the blender again, and mix well. This step really softens the ice and prevents any sort of layering. Pour the softened lemon ice slushy into a large yogurt container (for instance) and place back in the freezer. After a few hours, it's ready when you are!

7. You can serve in the lemon cups (as shown), for great presentation. Or you can serve in cold ramekins, for those who want a larger portion. It's great either way.