Tuxedo Brownies and New Toy...

Hello out there in blogland! Tonight's recipe is for Tuxedo Brownies - a nice treat that appeals to the cheesecake lover and the chocolate lover.

Tuxedo Brownies
8 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter
5 eggs
3 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup chocolate chunks

2 packages cream cheese (500 g/2 cups)
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs

1 cup good quality chocolate - chopped
1 cup heavy cream or whipping cream

Preheat oven to 325° F. Grease 13x9-inch pan. Optionally, you can line the pan with parchment paper.

Melt chocolate and butter over low heat (be careful not to burn) and set aside.

Beat eggs, vanilla and sugar together on med-high speed for 10 minutes. This will create a thick, yellow creamy mixture. Ten minutes is a long time and is not necessary for the success of these brownies - but if you have a standing mixer let it go for the full 10 minutes. Add the chocolate mixture, flour and salt and beat just until all ingredients have been incorporated and the batter is a uniform chocolate colour. Stir in chocolate chunks.

Pour into prepared baking pan and set aside.

Beat softened cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Add eggs one at a time and beat until smooth and creamy. Pour cream cheese mixture over brownie batter. Spread gently with a spatula to cover the brownie batter entirely. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.

Remove pan from oven and let cool completely on wire rack. When brownie is cool prepare the ganache topping.

Put chocolate pieces into a medium bowl. Heat cream (either on stove top or in microwave) until just about boiling. Pour hot cream over chocolate and let sit for five minutes. After five minutes stir melted chocolate and cream together until smooth and uniform in colour. Pour ganache over top of cooled brownies and refrigerate until set. Mmmmmm....

Here's the new toy I picked up yesterday. Can't wait to try it! I haven't used an airbrush since my fine arts courses in university...

Here's some tutorials I found on using the Copics Airbrush System:

• http://www.copicmarker.co.uk/tutor5.htm
• http://ellenhutson.typepad.com/ellen_hutson_simple_dream/2007/08/copic-airbrush-.html
  
• http://ellenhutson.typepad.com/ellen_hutson_simple_dream/2007/08/copic-airbrus-1.html

There are not a ton out there that I could find tonight but I'm going to experiment with the system and see what I can figure out.

I know a lot of folks have been talking about the Eclipse Masking rolls for masking stamped images (essential when airbrushing). It seems to be sold out in a lot of places and I can't find a supplier here in Canada but for those of you looking for an alternative just visit your local art supply store or the art section of a big box craft store (Michaels, Hobby Lobby) and purchase a pouch of "frisket film". This is the product I used in my art school days when I was airbrushing and it works great for masking stamped images. It usually comes in 9"x12" sheets. Its a low-tack masking film for use on paper. You can stamp your image on it, cut around the image and place it over the parts of your stamped image that you don't want coloured. It peels off easily without damaging your image.

And because I can't resist...here's another pic of my cutey pie. At least this time she's smiling...