Super Ninja Brownie Recipe Face Off! Round 1, Fight! Martha Stewart vs. Alton Brown

[510dat]

Background:
Aargnzarf and I were on a quest to cook and for some reason baking seemed like a good idea. After a short brainstorming session, we settled on brownies, which combine the baked goodness with awesome chocolateiness. Of course, there's a million brownie recipes out there, so which one? Aargnzarf suggested Martha Stewart, who, in spite of her psycho-hose-beast nature, has good recipies. Alton Brown, of the TV show Good Eats, is entertaining, educational and also has good recipes. So instead of settling on one or the other, we decided to do both, pitting them head to head in a culinary death match.

Preparation:
The recipies we chose were Martha Stewart's Truffle Brownies, and Alton Brown's Cocoa Brownies. I was looking forward to Martha's recipe, as it sounded very dessert-cocolate like, while Alton's promised to be much more typical. The two recipes required three different kinds of chocolate, so I had to go shopping, but other than that the ingredients are pretty typical as brownies go.

Cooking:
The one big difference between these two recipes and most other brownie recipes is that they call for the eggs to be gently beaten until light and fluffy, which is a lot of work when done by hand. Martha Stewart's recipe also had a ganache that had to be prepared after the brownies came out of the oven and cooled, so we did a lot of waiting at this point.

Results:
Both brownies were moist and very light, espcially Martha Stewart's, which was almost cake-like. After eating a small portion of each, we were quite satisfied; unlike typical brownies that require eating a big hunk for that chocolate happy feeling. The ganache was extremely tasty, creamy and chocolatey. However, the actual Brownie was not very yummy. It was not sweet at all, and had a leftover baking powder flavor. It is made with Baker's chocolate, so that combination may have something to do with it.

Alton Brown's brownies, on the other hand, are extremely flavorful, smooth, light, chewey (not almost-crumbly, like Martha's), yummy, and were quickly devoured. In fact, our only complaint is that they didn't come with the ganache, but that is easily remidied by wipeing off the ganache from Martha's.

Verdict:
In a unanimous decision by four judges (Aargnzarf, her son, myself, and my brother), Alton Brown Kicks Martha's ass.

Alton Brown's recipe:
Recipes : Cocoa Brownies : Food Network

Martha Stewart's recipe:
[down for mainenance. I'm not surprised]

[510dat]

I almost forgot the pics (Alton on the left, Martha on the right):

[jeff]

Nice little write up! Did you guys Hire an Asian guy to come in and take a bite out of onion before the showdown started?

[aargnzarf]

I now know why this exists....
Welcome to BakersEdge.com: Bakers Edge - Edge Brownie Pan, Brownies, Corner Brownies, Edge Brownies, Brownie Recipes

mmmmm AB edge-y goodness. I ate the brownies you sent me home with for breakfast. And for lunch. *guilty* :]

what's for the next iron chef challenge?

[510dat]

Originally Posted by jeff

Nice little write up! Did you guys Hire an Asian guy to come in and take a bite out of onion before the showdown started?

I'm afraid to ask why anyone would do that. Crying ninjas?

Originally Posted by Aargnzarf

what's for the next iron chef challenge?

flu medication.
I feel like a grain of flour thats been run through a roller-crusher too many times.

[aargnzarf]

Were you going to post pictures of the people who ate the brownies? :]

BTW.... I think the brownies were even more excellent the second day. And....I didn't think Martha's were bad, but not anywhere near as scrumptious in comparison. I think brownies without baking soda/powder are the way to go for that chewy texture.

[jeff]

Originally Posted by 510dat

I'm afraid to ask why anyone would do that. Crying ninjas?


flu medication.
I feel like a grain of flour thats been run through a roller-crusher too many times.

oops my bad, I meant pepper.

[aargnzarf]

Since the link for the truffle brownies is dead, I thought I'd repost it....

http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/...D&rsc=also_try