Red Wine Ganache Brownies
thick, fudgy brownies spiked with reduced wine and topped with ganache
I have two Aunt Karen’s. Both my mom and my dad have sisters named Karen, and it is clear that I inherited my love of wine from them. My dad’s sister Karen took me to France, where we celebrated our shared birthday in a vineyard, and my mom’s sister Karen introduced me to monthly wine deliveries through wine clubs. The moment I enter either of their houses, I can guarantee that there will be a glass of wine in my hand before I can get my shoes off. They are also the two people who make my recipes the most—so this recipe is for them. A red wine filled, dark chocolate brownie topped with a thick, red wine-spike ganache for my Aunt Karens.
about the recipe
These brownies are fudgy. They are thick and dense and, when served cold from the refrigerator, they have that sticky fudge consistency. They are extra rich and pack quite the punch (in a good way). I saw a recipe for wine cookies from Jesse Szewczyk in which he reduced down red wine before adding to the batter. I played around with that process and it turned out great—adding a deep wine flavor without weighing the recipe down with a vat of liquid. So we start there—reducing some cheap red wine down until you’ve got about a third of a cup and then it’s a base brownie recipe from there. Chocolate and butter are melted in a double-boiler and then brown and granulated sugars, our reduced wine, and a bunch of eggs are whisked in, followed by a dusting of flour, just to hold everything together.
The ganache is the real start of this recipe, elevating it from just a simple brownie to something special. We are using a 1:1 ratio in this recipe, which means you can easily scale it up if you want a thicker ganache layer. Pour 5 oz of hot cream over 5 ounces of chopped chocolate, let it rest a few minutes, and then whisk, whisk, whisk, until smooth and emulsified. (There’s a term called “the pastry chef’s two minutes” which means you keep whisking for another 2 minutes after the ganache comes together to ensure a smooth emulsification.) Then add a heavy splash of red wine and keep whisking. In order to thicken the ganache, we use a chill-whisk process. Pop the ganache in the fridge for 10 minutes, then whisk it well. Return it to the fridge for another 10 minutes, whisk. Repeat until the ganache is the thickness of frosting and easily spreadable. Mine took about 35 minutes.
Smear that fluffy ganache on your cooled brownies, salt them, and enjoy!
red wine ganache brownies
makes
Ingredients:
for the brownies
1 1/2 cup (12 oz) red wine
200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar, divided
213 g (1 cup ) brown sugar
226 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, cubed
12 oz dark chocolate, chopped
5 eggs
125 g (1 cup) all purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
for the ganache
5 oz dark chocolate, chopped
5 oz heavy cream
1 oz red wine
flaky salt
Procedure:
Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a 9x13” baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, bring the wine and two tablespoons of the granulated sugar to a simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes until the wine has reduced to about 1/3 cup. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, combine chocolate and butter in a large bowl set over a double-boiler. Heat, stirring occasionally, until completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat and let cook slightly.
Add the brown sugar and the remaining granulated sugar to the chocolate and whisk well, followed by the reduced wine.
Whisk in three of the eggs, followed by the remaining two, whisking vigorously until the batter is thick and emulsified.
Add the flour and salt and stir again until just combined and no flour streaks remain.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the brownies cool completely, and then transfer to the refrigerator.
To make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl.
Place the heavy cream in a small saucepan and heat just until bubbles begin to appear around the edges (do not boil). Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let rest for 2-3 minutes.
Starting in the center of the bowl, begin vigorously whisking until the ganache is glossy and smooth and completely emulsified. Whisk in the red wine until smooth.
Place the ganache in the refrigerator for 10 minutes, then take it out and whisk it. Return to the refrigerator and repeat this process for a total of three times, or until the ganache has cooled to the consistency of spreadable frosting.
Spread the ganache in an even layer over the cooled brownies and smooth with an offset spatula. Sprinkle with flaky salt.
Store any leftover brownies in the refrigerator for up to a week.