BROWNIE PUDDING WITH MACERATED PONCHATOULA STRAWBERRIES

Prep Time: 1½ Hours
Yields: 6 Servings

Comment:
This nice, rich, chocolate moose-like dessert will certainly excite your guests. Try serving it warm with a side of fresh-sliced strawberries. This dessert is not only tasty, but the richness of chocolate and the color of bright red strawberries present a beautiful center piece for your table.

Ingredients for Macerated Strawberries:
2 pints fresh Louisiana Ponchatoula strawberries
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup water or strawberry wine

Ingredients for Brownie Pudding:
2 sticks sweet butter
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 tbsps pure vanilla
2 tbsps strawberry wine
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup high quality cocoa powder
whipped cream, optional
2 cups sliced, macerated strawberries (see above)
mint leaves for garnish

Method:
To macerate berries, rinse the strawberries and cut off stems from top. Slice each berry into 4–6 pieces then place all berry slices into a zipper bag. Top with ½ cup granulated sugar and ¼ cup water or strawberry wine. Shake bag to dissolve sugar and coat berries well. Seal tight and place in refrigerator for a minimum of 24 hours, shaking occasionally. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 325°F. Coat an oval 9” x 12” x 2” baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place in a pan large enough to hold baking dish and approximate 2 inches high. Set aside. In a small skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Do not brown. Set aside to cool slightly. In a mixer fitted with a paddle blade, cream eggs and sugar over medium-high speed 6–8 minutes or until thick and yellow. Add vanilla and wine and mix well, 1–2 minutes. In a separate bowl, sift flour and cocoa powder then slowly blend into the egg mixture, 2–3 minutes. With mixer running, slowly add melted butter and whip to incorporate. Pour mixture into prepared oval dish and place back into the larger pan. Fill outside pan with hot water to half height of the oval baking dish. This will create a hot water bath. Bake for exactly 1 hour and a tester inserted 2 inches from the rim of the dish should come out clean. If not, cook 2 additional minutes. NOTE: This is a dessert somewhere between a brownie and a pudding so the center should appear under baked at 1 hour. Remove and allow to cool slightly. To serve, spoon a serving of the warm pudding into a stemmed glass and top with an equal portion of macerated strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream (optional). Top with a mint leaf. You may wish to serve the strawberries in a small crystal bowl alongside the warm pudding.