Banana Brownies

On my regular spin around the blogging world, I noticed the May Cooking Club Challenge on the FoodTV blog . This month's recipe comes from celebrity Chef Michael Smith . Chef Michael's tv shows are well known in Canada as is his passion for fresh seasonal food with the injection of personal flair and a sense of adventure. On one of his shows, his opening line is about sharing his recipe which he describes as "cooking without a recipe". Michael encourages his audience to think about the ingredients you have and don't be afraid to try putting things together and experimenting. After all - food is meant to be more than just sustenance - it's about fun and creativity - and all about the flavour.

Banana brownies - how could I possibly say no to that? Even better - the rules say it's okay to add to the recipe or to create the recipe straight up. The recipe as it's presented follows. I added both nuts and peanut butter chips for variety.


Ingredients:

1 lb. dark chocolate
2 sticks (1 cup) butter
4 eggs
4 ripe bananas
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tbsp. baking powder




Process:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a small bowl set over a pot of simmering water.



3. In a separate bowl, mash together the eggs and bananas
4. Add the flour, sugar, cocoa and baking powder and stir to combine



5. Pour in the melted chocolate mixture and stir
6. Butter and flour an 8" x 8" baking dish and pour in the batter. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the brownies are firm to the touch.







When I originally saw the photo for this brownie, my impression was that it was going to have a cake like quality. Let me tell you - I took one bite of this brownie and IMMEDIATELY wrapped the rest in freezer packaging. I assure you without any question in my mind that had I not done that - there would be no brownies left by morning. The consistency starts off cakey when it hits the taste buds but you very quickly get the fudgey density and intense chocolate flavour. I also really liked the addition of walnuts and peanut butter chips. If I ever came close to dieing and going to heaven on food, this would be it. Chef Michael Smith is not just another pretty face - you need to try this recipe. Your family will be eternally grateful to you!! Here's a tip - save one for yourself - put it in the fridge and have it the next day. Once the brownies have had a chance to settle and reach their true level of density, you have no idea what a piece of nirvana you're in for. I guess you get that I really liked this recipe (or do I need to get more pornographic about my descriptors?)