It’s a misconception that the French don’t like American food. Step into any bakery in Paris and you’re likely to see one of two things: le gâteau au fromage or les brownies. Usually the cheesecake is pretty good, but the brownies are too often pale facsimiles. For some reason that I don’t understand, the French never put enough chocolate in their brownies. In my efforts to promote international understanding, I hand out brownies freely to my Parisian friends in hopes that pretty soon, someone will get the message and ramp up the fudginess of French brownies. (Perhaps it’s because the word “fud-gee” isn’t part of the French vocabulary?) And because I sometimes can’t help showing off my American audaciousness, I’ll whip up this recipe that combines the best of both the cheesecake and brownie worlds and pass the squares around. They tend to take people by surprise—I think the French need a little more time to get used to such a cra-zee combination.

　　

Ingredients

makes 9 to 12 brownies

　　

Brownies

6 tablespoons (3 ounces/85 g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

　　4 ounces (115 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

　　2/3 cup (130 g) sugar

　　2 large eggs, at room temperature

　　1/2 cup (70 g) all-purpose flour

　　1 tablespoon (8 g) unsweetened natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder

　　1/8 teaspoon salt

　　1 teaspoon vanilla extract

　　1/2 cup (80 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips

　　

Cheesecake topping

8 ounces (225 g) cream cheese, at room temperature

　　1 large egg yolk

　　5 tablespoons (75 g) sugar

　　1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line the inside of a 9-inch (23-cm) square pan with 2 lengths of foil, positioning the sheets perpendicular to each other and allowing the excess to extend beyond the edges of the pan. Or, use one large sheet of extrawide foil. Lightly grease the foil with butter or nonstick cooking spray.

　　

Step 2

To make the brownies, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter, then add the chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate and stir over low heat until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the 2/3 cup (130 g) sugar followed by the 2 eggs. Mix in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt, then stir in the 1 teaspoon vanilla and the chocolate chips. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.

　　

Step 3

To make the cheesecake topping, in a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, egg yolk, the 5 tablespoons (75 g) sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon vanilla until smooth.

　　

Step 4

Distribute the cream cheese mixture in 8 dollops across the top of the brownie batter, then, with a butter knife or spatula, swirl the cream cheese mixture very slightly into the batter. Resist the urge to mix and swirl too much, as you’ll just make the brownies muddy—you want big pockets of cheesecake.

　　

Step 5

Bake until the brownies feel just set in the center, about 35 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan before lifting out the foil to remove the brownies.

　　

Storage

Step 6

The brownies will keep in an airtight container for 2 days. They can also be frozen, wrapped well, for 1 month. (And in fact, if you cut them and store them individually wrapped, they’re terrific—and convenient—to eat while frozen. See Tip, page 196, for brownie-cutting techniques.)

　　Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz. Copyright © 2010 by David Lebovitz. Published by Ten Speed Press. All Rights Reserved.David Lebovitz lived in San Francisco for twenty years before moving to Paris. He baked at several notable restaurants before starting his career as a cookbook author and food writer. He's the author of four highly regarded books on desserts, and has written for many major food magazines, sharing his well-tested recipes written with a soupçon of humor. His popular, award-winning blog, www.davidlebovitz.com, entertains readers from around the world with sweet and savory recipes as he tries to unravel the complexities of living in Paris.