Dark, decadent gooey chocolate is the base, then you add sweet dried fig fruit, some crushed hazelnuts and finish off with a few sea salt flakes on top... you have a brownie which is simply Spettacolare!
Welcome again to Brownies and Coffee. If you are a returning visitor, you know what to expect in my attempts to wake up your taste buds with an outright face plant into the indulgences of brownies and coffee. This culinary hobby and passion that I have always had in making brownies all with a unique twist is kind of now an unbelievable experience with all the attention erupting from this blog. This particular brownie is called "Molte Grazie (Italian to English translation means "Many Thanks")..... the Big City Brownie!" Be on the lookout for this delicious recipe in the soon to be released book, Brownies and Coffee.
A recent visit to NYC inspired this surprising brownie combination. I always have a good time in the city that never sleeps, and this brownie combination is no different, in that it took several sleepless nights to perfect. I would be remiss if I did not give a big shout out to Copp & Gianni (Mista-U-Know-Everybody).
"New York, New York, big city of dreams, but everything in New York ain't always what it seems." ~ Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five (c.1983)
As these lyrics in one of the hip hop song hits by artist/DJ Grandmaster Flash and Furious Five, the Ficus Carina known as the Common Fig Tree is not what they seem either.
The fig tree and the fruits produced figs are considered one of the juiciest, sweetest and very fragrant fruits but I have to tell you growing up my only exposure to figs was in my occasional snack food the "Fig Newton" cookie, which went well with milk then and now in this brownie. Figs are far from actually being called a typical fruit, the fruit produced is an inverted flowering plant in the mulberry family. Fig trees are native to the Middle East and the Mediterranean, but there are over 700 varieties grown today worldwide as the source of the fig fruit and as an ornamental plant. Figs come from an enclosed flower head which contains many tiny flowers and seeds.
There are three types of edible figs.
Persistent (Common) Fig - all female flowers, non-pollination need for fruiting
Caducous (Smyrna) Fig - requires pollination by fig wasp with pollen from caprifigs
Intermediate (San Pedro) Fig - both non-pollination and pollination depending on the crop
Figs have centuries-old written history and are actually spoken of in the Garden of Eden with fig tree leaves being used as a cover for Adam and Eve. In researching this fruit; it's interesting to learn that figs are feed too geese and ducks to fatten both them and their livers, which are used in preparation of the delicacy foie gras. The Roman emperor Augustus was supposedly poisoned by his wife Livia, after feeding him fresh figs from his very own garden. Talk about ruthless, Livia inherited a large portion of this emperors wealth and had her son Tiberius become the next emperor. One additional little known fact is that certain types of edible figs can contain the insect remains and larvae of the female fig wasp; but I'll let you look that up for yourself, this may be a little sensitive and gross for some readers.
Nutritional Health benefits of eating Figs
Figs are rich in soluble fibers which are excellent in assisting with digestion and maintaining regularity. Figs also contain natural sugars, minerals calcium, magnesium, potassium, and iron which, are all nutrients are believed to prevent high blood pressure. Also, these fruits contain vitamins: Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic acid, Folate, Choline, Vita C, Vita K, and Vita B6.
Benefits of eating Hazelnuts
Hazelnuts are rich in unsaturated fat known as oleic acid, high in magnesium, calcium and vitamins B and E. Hazelnuts contribute to good heart health, reduce some cancer risk as well as contribute to the overall health of muscles, skin, bones, joint and regular bowel movements preventing constipation. Some studies indicated that eating hazelnuts help reduce LDL cholesterol which lowers the risk of certain heart conditions. And here's another couple of interesting facts, eating hazelnuts every day can actually improve insulin sensitivity which decreases the chances of developing type 2 diabetes as well as improved quality of fertility in men.
The perfect coffee for this brownie adventure
Highly recommend this brownie with the espresso-based Italian coffee drink known as the Cappuccino. As I have mentioned in this blog before, coffee has two primary components, caffeine and antioxidants, both of which contribute significantly to brain health. Caffeine keeps your brain alert by blocking adenosine the chemical messenger that makes you sleepy, improves your mood by increasing the neurotransmitter serotonin, and helps to sharpen concentration. Drinking coffee over the long term is also known to reduce the risk of Alzheimers and Parkinson disease.
So in summary, it's almost impossible to go wrong with this recommended combo of figs and hazelnuts in a gooey chocolate brownie topped with flakes of pure sea salt and your favorite Cappuccino. Enjoy!
The full recipe for this brownie can be found in the soon to be released book: Brownies and Coffee.
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