The One Where Blake Bakes

(B for Blake. Buy one here)

I was invited to a party today. The chance for me to be social. Rare I know. We were requested to bring a desert as it was a birthday party. Since it was Sunday I couldn't do my usual trick of driving down to Farr Better Ice Cream picking up a pint of ice cream, driving to the Smith's Food King buying an Oreo crust slathering some ice cream in the crust some harden crust and voila! Ice cream pie via la Blake. 

Last weekend I had to go up Burley for work and drove over to Sun Valley to spend the weekend. After touring Cassia Regional and Burley's botanical gardens. FYI there is nothing botanical about them. It's a big ole plot of crab grass so you can cross that off your list of things to do in Burley. When I finally made it to the house I pulled out my red bike (with a basket! and a bell!) and rode into town to go to three of my favorite places. Despos (some of the best Mexican food I've ever had), the grocery store, and the book store. Or Food Food books. Is there nothing better? I promise this ties back into me going to a party. Iconoclast books sells both used and new books and lately I've been on cookbook kick. Don't ask me why but someone mentions the word bake, braise, glaze, grill, and my fat little heart beats a little faster. Would you believe my luck but they had a whole stack on sale? 

So I bought the Salmon Fourth Ward cook book (Ward cook books are amazing.Why did we stop making these?) for 1.98! Sister Mary Richmond not only had the ward recipes but many of her own. In the back of the book was this recipe for homemade brownies that I felt that heady feeling when you read amazing prose. After coming home I filed it with all the other cooking books and promptly forgot about it. Till I received a last minute invite to a party. 

With it being Sunday I was in panic. Then I remembered Sister Mary Richmond. Pulling out the cook book I found her recipe for homemade raspberry brownies and she saved me from social embarrassment. 

So here's Sister Mary Richmond's Homemade Brownie Recipe: 

3 oz unsweetened  chocolate coarsely chopped. 
1 1/2 C unsalted butter
1 1/3 sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla 
2/3 C. unbleached all purpose flour
3 C. raspberries rinsed, dried, divided. 
1 C. heavy cream. Whipped. 

350 degree oven. Lightly grease and flour ( I didn't have much flour so I just used coco powder) a 9" spring form pan. Melt chocolate on a VERY (this was underlined three times so it be very important) LOW heat till smooth, add butter stir till melted. Whisk sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk in flour till incorporated. Pour mixture into springform pan. Gently press berries in batter. Bake 35-40 min until the edges crack and feel firm to the touch. Cool completely and remove from the spring form pan. Serve in wedges with a dollop of cream and berries on top. 

No wonder I'm fat.