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Brownies for Dolce & Gabbana

Brownies for Dolce & Gabbana

October 30th, 2010 | Category: Brownies, Chocolate

I have to admit, I was a bit lost when Dolce & Gabbanarequested me to create a recipe for their digital magazine, Swide.

As soon as I read that email, I wished I werePierre Herm. Hed know exactly what to do. Who am I to createanythingfor D&G?

Right after I picked my self-confidence up off the floor, I visited their website for inspiration and came across the Fall/Winter 2011 runway show. As I watched one seductivedress after another, I knew it had to be something with chocolate. Plus, I had the honor of shopping side by side with Domenico and Stefano at Fouquet in Paris, so I knowhow much they like chocolate.

Now, I do not know much about fashion. My knowledge might even be limited to a few episodes of Project Runway, and the encounter at Fouquet will probably be the closestI ll ever get to a D& G anything, but I do know my chocolate recipes. And I certainly know a great brownie. One that had the honor of being f eatured in a Washington Postarticle by a hero of mine. Yes, I had to bakethose brownies.

Because if it is good enough forNick, it i s good enough for everyone. But this is D&G and the recipe was to be exclusive for Swide, so I started thinking What would makea brownie more seductive? Perhaps a coating of velvety hazelnut butter? Definitely.

hat I saw on the runway was quite seductive, but so wi sely (and tasteful ly, of course) camouflaged wi th transparent fabric. A brownie coated wi th hazelnut butter wouldhave looked too naked, so I sti ll needed another element. Something to cover the skin j ust enough to entice. Then the show ended and the whole team of tail ors appeared onscreen, looking proud and confident. To me, it was an appreciation and celebration of craftsmanship. It was the most inspiring part of the show and I just had to incorporate

hat into the recipe as well.

I thought, wouldn t a chocolate lace decoration be perfect? Chocolate lace? As soon as I asked myself that question, I wished I wereJacques Torres. He would have pipedwhat I had in mind in the blink of an eye.

Me? It took me three attempts, 30 minutes each.

The first one turned out horrible. The second one broke into pieces. Damn! Those brownies had to wear lace! Finally, the third one was good enough to top that brownie. HowI wish I were fast enough to do i t with tempered chocolate, but try pi ping tempered chocolate for a duration of half an hour wi th the small est ti p and you ll see it is almostimpossible unless you are Jacques Torres, of course.

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Theres no possible way to keep the chocolate in the piping bag fluid for longer than 10 minutes. I tried using a hair dryer to heat up the tip to get it going, but no luck. Astencil would have been extremely helpful , but that wouldn t have been haute couture, now would it? And it certainly wouldnt have celebrated craftsmanship.

Visit Swidefor thecomplete set of photos and a short interview with me. And dont forget to come back for the recipe.

A heartfelt thank you to Yiit at D&G for this great opportunity.

BROWNIES with HAZELNUT BUTTER and CHOCOLATE LACE

Ingredients

For Brownies:

10.5 ounces (300 grams) bit tersweet (%70 cacao) chocolate, chopped 2/3 cup (10 tablespoons/150 grams) unsalted butter, plus more for pan 3/4 cup (105 grams) all-purpose fl our




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1/2 cup (35 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1+1/2 cup (300 grams) granulated sugar 5 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For Hazelnut Butter Frosting:

One 14-ounce (400 grams) jar smooth hazelnut butter

For Chocolate Lace Decoration:

4.5 ounces (150 grams) bittersweet (%70 cacao) chocolate, chopped

Method

1. To make the brownies, adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven andpreheat the oven to 350F/175C. Butter a 9-by-13-inch rectangular cake pan, line bottom andsides with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Place the chopped chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler set over hot water and all ow to melt slowly, stirring often. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.3. Sift together the flour, cocoa, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fi tted with the whisk attachment, whisk eggs and sugar until li ght and fluffy. Add the cooled chocolate followed by the vanil la extract,

and whisk until combined. Fold in the flour and cocoa mixture with a spatula. Pour the mixture into the baking pan, smooth the top with a spatula and bake for 30minutes.

5. All ow to cool i n the pan for a few minutes, then turn out and leave to cool completely on a wire rack. Trim the top crust and half -an-inch from each side and place in therefrigerator until chilled, for about 30 minutes.

6. To make the hazelnut butter frosting, place the hazelnut butter in a small pot over low heat and stir unti l it is runny. Pour over cooled brownie, smooth the top with aspatula, place the frosted brownies in the refrigerator and chil l completely, for about an hour.

7. To make the chocolate lace decoration, place the chopped chocolate in the top of a double boiler set over hot water and allow to melt slowly, stirring often. Set aside tocool for 10 minutes.

8. Place a 16-inch-long parchment paper on your work surface. Draw an 8-by-12 inch rectangular wi th a pencil, turn the other side and place it on a baking tray. Pour themelted chocolate into a piping bag fi tted with the small est (about 1 mil limeter) plain tip and pipe the lace decoration the size of your brownie. Place the baking tray

together with a large offset spatula in the refr igerator and wait until the chocolate is set, for about an hour.9. Transfer the brownie on your serving plate. Remove the chocolate decoration from the refrigerator and with the help of a large chil led offset spatula go underneath the

decoration, pick it up and place it on the brownie. Heat the blade of a large knife with a heat gun or stick it in a cup of hot water for a few minutes and then wipe off thewater (heating the blade helps with cutting through the chocolate decoration without breaking it into pieces), cut the brownie into 12 identical squares and serve.

Related posts:

Saveur s Best Food Blog Awards 2011

Valentines Day Recipes

The Best Chocolate Mousse of Your Life Under 5 M inutes

100 Comments | Share this post | Print Tags: brownie, dolce & gabbana, swide

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Comments

1. 1 - misk on October 30th, 2010

Wow! that reall y looks like a real lace pattern in there.. like you actually placed some authentic lace drawing at the back of your sheet!

2. 2 - Kirstin on October 30th, 2010

oh WOW! The chocolate lace is gorgeous!

3. 3 - Miriam/The Winter Guest on October 30th, 2010

Astonishing, really!

4. 4 - Betul on October 30th, 2010

It looks yummy as usual! Your i nterview s very cute, I li ke all those hints on chocolates and things li ke that. I bookmarked http://www.swide.com , but hey, wi ll you bedoing a series of recipes for them or was it just one shot?

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5. 5 - Barb on October 30th, 2010

wow that is just sensational

6. 6 - my little expat kitchen on October 30th, 2010

This is so impressive, both the invi tation by D&G for a sweet creation and the actual creation! Y our lace looks simply amazing!Magda

7. 7 - carole (bishy57) on October 30th, 2010

wow beautiful!

8. 8 - james in the kitchen on October 30th, 2010

newyork t imes list, washington post and now the swide of dolce? you are an amazing talent! ! i t s actuall y cool how that site changed though, i mean i checked forprevious posts on the food section and its just restaurant reviews before your articleis this a series or something? do you have any idea? i would l ove to contribute, i think its innovative i have an idea for swide cookies! hahahakeep up the good work mate

9. 9 - Sonia{ 7spice} on October 30th, 2010

absolutely creative!!

10. 10 - Leesa Garciaon October 30th, 2010

WOW Cenk!!

VERYY YY YY impressive! What a lot of pressure you must have felt making those! I mean, the brownie alone- taste, texture.. etc but the design you put on top!!!

BRAVOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

11. 11 - NicaP on October 30th, 2010

The lace is divine.

12. 12 - Colleen on October 30th, 2010

WOW! What stunning f il igree work on these brownies. I am sure they loved the eff ort. So very pretty and I know they must have tasted fantastic. Well done!

13. 13 - Emily on October 30th, 2010

I would list food and fashion as the things I am most passionate about, so this post was really wonderful to read! I loved how you incorporated the idea of layeredtransparency from AW 11 and also, Ive never seen a more beautif ul and delicious looking brownie.

14. 14 - Modern Country L ady on October 30th, 2010

You are a master! What a fabulous idea-too, too beautiful!!

15. 15 - Madame Fromage on October 30th, 2010

Stunning! I stumbled across your blog about 2 weeks ago. Now it s my drug.

16. 16 - YoSusan on October 30th, 2010

Hi, I m Spanish and my Engli sh is very homespun, I love your bl og and I miss a translator.

Greetings

17. 17 - Destina on October 31st, 2010

Thats real haute couture very creative and very much YOU :) Congrats!

18. 18 - Nicoleon October 31st, 2010

Incredible!

19. 19 - hulya on October 31st, 2010

Great Brownie and fabulous pictures of it . Thanks for sharing!

20. 20 - sibel on October 31st, 2010

cenk,ok ktsn.ben ingil izce bilmiyorum.yazy okuyamaynca atladm.trke bloada ekle ltf en.

21. 21 - emell l on October 31st, 2010

I knew I should always visit the English version! This, you, what you do is worthrespect..

22. 22 - ruth on October 31st, 2010

wow!! !! !! !! !thats fantastic congratulations.




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23. 23 - Cenk on October 31st, 2010

Thank you all for the nicest comments. Very much appreciated.

Betl Thank you! I t was just this one. Nothing more planned.

james in the kitchen Thanks. I believe this is a new series for Swide. You might want to inquire at their website and let them know more about your idea.

sibel Aksil ik olmazsa yarna eklemi olurum.

24. 24 - New York Muhtari on November 1st, 2010

oh my passion f or fashion??? Very creative Cenk.. It almost feels l ike a crime to eat thi s amazing looking brownie or should we say work of art?? Kudos to you..

25. 25 - Gulcan on November 1st, 2010

Creative idea, impressed! Just two proposals: 1.you could have re-melt the chocolate in the piping bag (after removing the metal top) of course, depending on thematerial of the bag. 2.in order to bring a more oriental twi st, i would have cut a paper copy of my mother s hand-made lace and pour the chocolate in the gentle-openedholes of the copy. Hard work, but worth to try! Something similar could be found here: http://www.sugarveil .com/gall ery/sugarveil _cakes/choco-cake_sm.jpg

26. 26 - Ulya on November 1st, 2010

Chocolate lace is a fantastic idea! Actually, for my bi rthday cake, I made a simi lar decoration, but I used rustic patterns instead: http://kitchenimpromptu.com/my-birthday-cake-with-coconut-butter-and-pineapple/So now, I m thinking about making lace chocolate topped cupcakes. Cute!Thanks for the idea..

27. 27 - Banu Bingoron November 1st, 2010

Amazing as usual ) If we werent on a diet I would simply try it this week (even would go perfect for a bday cake to us!)

A cake for D&G ) You are really great!(If I were selfish I would say be merciful to your Turkish readers, though I know how long they have been waiting for a single new recipe on English part of the bloghere ) )

28. 28 - emell l on November 1st, 2010

sugarveil is original, too.

29. 29 - robin on November 1st, 2010

incredible as always

30. 30 - geoffrey on November 1st, 2010

amazing recipe, just tested it! your interview is so much fun! did you get paid for this amazing masterpiece? its good for their publici ty, after all its a rare thing to seeexclusive content l ike this in digi tal magazine, they always talk about the same stuff its refreshing to see editors who take time and eff ort to customize their contentil l check this swide thing deff o more often if you tell me you ll do more recipes for them??

31. 31 - canan on November 1st, 2010

Spersiniz, tebrik ederimBizleri yurtdnda iyi bir eki lde temsil ediyor olmanz ok gurur verici .. (kendimize pay karmamza kzmyorsunuz umarm:))Baarlarnzn devamn dilerim..

32. 32 -Anneon November 1st, 2010

Stunning! The brownie by i tself is gorgeous with the lovely cracks, which I love, but to then add the light brown hazelnut layer and the beautif ul lace-l ike chocolate-you are incredibly creative. Bravo:)

33. 33 - Fragolina on November 2nd, 2010

This is reall y awesome!! ! and the chocolate decoration looks li ke a fine cloth, l ike a crochet pattern. It reall y suits a famous D&G magazine.

34. 34 - torviewtorontoon November 2nd, 2010

looks delicious

35. 35 - heatheron November 2nd, 2010

This is incredible, and you, you are extremely talented. Wow.

Cheers,

*Heather*

36. 36 - JehanPon November 2nd, 2010

Simply stunning!

37. 37 - Cook is Good on November 2nd, 2010

wonderfulGiorgia




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merhabalar cenk bey..sizi sessizce begenerek takib ediyorum..ilk defa yaziyorum..fi kir olarak D& G icin kina boyamalari aklima geldi..onlar da cok ince uclu tuplerden akitilarak yapiliyor..yanmaz kagidin altina deseni koyarak ustunden cikolatayi akitabilirsiniz..

kolay gelsin

(asagidaki link acilmaz ise google dan henna designs diye girerseniz de cikar)

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,26637,27404&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t& q=henna+designs&cp=7&qe=aGVuYSBkZQ& qesig=B17jHupLpcyaFE59ppsoNA& pkc=AFgZ2tkR_7S-

2wG0oHIgHbITYQauhySKUbK83zl_lc1CoIwu2mrW44GcByxP2ziPlaSewl0lRe7cp-LCk13xPLGG3Ru41m5QoA&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=kTTZTKr5BsrQcenYsOEH&sa=X& oi=image_result_group&ct=ti tle&resnum=1&sqi=2& ved=0CCYQsAQwAA&biw=1350&bih=592

58. 58 - Ginaon November 10th, 2010

Wow, that looks amazing! Way better than anything Pierre Herm could do

59. 59 - Cenk on November 11th, 2010

Gina Have you ever been to his shop? As much as I want to take that compliment, I dont think it s possible.

60. 60 - David on November 11th, 2010

Delicious just by sightThe lace looks perfect.

61. 61 - Moll y Drexelius- Drexelius Chocolateson November 12th, 2010

Fantastic idea and work! I just posted how to dri zzle chocolate like a pro. I m sure I ll have to try a few times to get mine to look as great as yours. Thanks for sharing

62. 62 - Renate on November 15th, 2010

What a fabulous recipe. The result is so pretty and sounds deli cious! I totally understand why they came to you for a recipe D&G knew youd come up withsomething that was just perfect!

I wish I could pop over and try a piece will have to see if I can find hazelnut butter here in the Netherlands. And ofcourse, make sure I have a couple of hours to spareto get that chocolate lace right

63. 63 - almond on November 16th, 2010

Well done, such a great job!

64. 64 -Artemis Tsipi on November 17th, 2010

Congratulations from a greek food blogger-cooker-wanna be photographer fellow!Excell ent work, deli cious recipes, amazing l ooking shots!Keep (food) blogging!

P.S. I bookmarked you so as to visit you often!

65. 65 - Christine on November 20th, 2010

Professionals fold cornets out of parchment paper and cut a very small hole at the tip to pipe fine details, The advantage being that try are very small so you can havemany lined up and just microwave them if they get difficult to use.

Im sure the internet can provide you wi th a resource on how to fold a cornet.

66. 66 - Ben on November 22nd, 2010

A mouth-watering recipe.These brownies are packed full of chocolately goodness. The ultimate treat for any chocolate lover.

67. 67 - Christina on November 23rd, 2010

Awesome! Congrats to succeed. I couldn t decide what Il l cook for Thanksgiving dinner. Im thinking about almost 2 weeks, actualy I need some professionalguidance. Could you tell me what s your Thanksgiving plan? or any advise? Thank you.

68. 68 - Cenk on November 24th, 2010

Christina I li ve in Turkey and we dont celebrate Thanksgiving here, but the New Year s Eve Dinner Party food is always simi lar, so you can take a look at thoseposts. Heres the2010 post and heres the2009 post. Enjoy.

69. 69 - Kruzon on December 2nd, 2010

It s almost a crime to break up that beautif ul topping.

70. 70 - Ebedi Zibidi on December 20th, 2010

I can almost feel the chocolate lace melt ing in my mouth as I take my fi rst bite.

Mmmmmm, chocolate lace. [insert Homer Simpson drool effect here]




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Looks divine, thanx for sharing.

71. 71 - La roquetteon January 5th, 2011

Absolutely Gorgeous wish i could be that good

love from MaltaLa Roquette

visit my blog at la-roquette.blogspot.com

72. 72 - Patricia Scarpin on January 19th, 2011

This i s amazing news, Cenk! Congratulations! Beautif ul brownies.

73. 73 - Tracey on January 19th, 2011

Great job! Question, did you scrap and remake the brownies after each lacing attempt, or were you able to salvage them and retry?

74. 74 - Cenk on January 19th, 2011

Patricia Thank you!

Tracey Thanks. I didn t transfer the chocolate lace unti l I was satisfied with the result, so there was no need to bake the brownies again.

75. 75 - devaon January 21st, 2011

okay. im officially a fan.

76. 76 - Manu @ Chez Manu- Italian Home Cooking on January 22nd, 2011

FANTASTIC!! !! ! They look so beautif ul!! ! I d bet they taste great too!

77. 77 - Anel Olsson on February 23rd, 2011

Oh my soul what art!!! I cannot WAIT to pipe chocolate lace for my beloved. He loves brownies.

You are a wizard!!

bisousAnel

78. 78 - ChocolateCentral on February 26th, 2011

I took one look at the chocolate lace you created and thought, I couldnt do that. Thank you for posting the larger photo, which revealed that I probably can. Af terall theadvanced cake decorating classes, I think so. I t i s reall y elegant looking. I m going to try i t. Thank you for the inspiration and idea.

79. 79 - niaon April 4th, 2011

This is amazing! So creative, so beautif ul and yes, I want to try and taste them all I heard that you are wri ting a book, this is great too! Good Luck! Greetings andLove f rom Istanbul

80. 80 - Michell e Benoit (ChocolateCentral) on April 27th, 2011

I commented on this fabulous post in February and today discovered you are nominated for Saveur Best Food blog. I m going to vote for you and fol low you onTwitter. Well done!

81. 81 - Maggie on April 30th, 2011

Wow fashion brownies!

I hate nuts in my brownies but I love the idea of a hazelnut sauce to go with them. Thanks for the inspiration!

82. 82 - Nicoleon May 3rd, 2011

looks amazing!!! What can I use instead of Hazelnut spread?

83. 83 -Avanika (Yumsili cious Bakes) on May 3rd, 2011

Came over here through Saveur. And WOW. Off to check the rest of your blog out.

84. 84 - Neseon May 7th, 2011

oyumu verdim, bir gun becerebili p de yapabil irsem bu sahane brownie yi fevkaledenin f evkinde olacak. Bol sans Cenk, sevgiler.

85. 85 - Nomiaon May 17th, 2011

Dear Cenk! Congratulations on the award of Saveur magazine! I voted for your blog, of course! And to show how much you inspire me, here is a link to a dessert Imade for Christmas 2010!

A big hug from a Brazilian, from Portugal,

Nomia




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http://noemiamartins.blogspot.com/2010/12/bolo-para-o-natal-2010.html

86. 86 - Samantha Angela @ Bikini Birthday on May 17th, 2011

Congrats on your recipe win in Saveur magazine!

87. 87 - Shima on July 1st, 2011

Cenk,Seni kutlarim,

Alcak gonnullu olmanda cok hos ama; sen yeni kesfedilen bir yemek dahisisin, you deserve it all

88. 88 - Cenk on July 1st, 2011

Shima l tif atnz iin ok teekkr ederim ama dahi gibi kelimeler ancak Pierre Herme gibi ustalara yakr.

89. 89 -Anna (Morsels & Musings) on July 13th, 2011

seriously spectacular.i am in awe.

90. 90 - sarah on July 18th, 2011

Stunning brownies and congrats on Saveur magazine. The top makes them look so delicate.

91. 91 - tommy janeon October 6th, 2011

I am following your blog for 2 years and i love the way you present the recipes.I am glad that you are featured in the Magazine.

92. 92 - Charity on October 25th, 2011

just wanted to say these brownies are gorgeous! i cant believe you had the patience to do chocolate lace it was definitely well worth it!

93. 93 - Kevin Chamow on December 9th, 2011

I wish I could make these. But I m afraid I dont have the skill

Kevin Chamow

94. 94 - Vahtikoira on January 17th, 2012

This looks like a fabulous recipe!

95. 95 - Peruvian recipes on February 8th, 2012

You are quite the artist! Your brownies look beautiful , and very worthy of appearing next to Dolce & Gabbana clothes. I would be totally lost, li ke you were at f irst,when asked to make something for them!My favourite brownie recipe is from the book CHOCOLATE, by Nick Malgieri (all his recipes are to die for!), but you have now convinced me to try yours!

96. 96 - Khawlaon February 13th, 2012

This is my best brownies recipe ever. Keep it up

97. 97 - Paolaon March 14th, 2012

I love your works! bye..

98. 98 - Blog Suculento on March 19th, 2012

Hello there, that brownie looks amazing, even being diabetic, i will do an exception and cook it, will let you know, thanks for a great blog.

99. 99 - Margot on April 14th, 2012

Way too pretty to eat!

100. 100 -Adrianaon June 27th, 2012

Absolutely gorgeous! Youve transformed a classic dessert into a work of art. Your talent and creativity are so inspiring! That delicate chocolate lace looks likesomething I would spend the whole day making, no matter how many failed attempts. The result is so worth the effort.

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