White Brownies and Final Grades

So, I am finally and officially done with school. True finals are hectic times; studying, final projects, computer, all-nighters and all the things usually associated to college go for culinary school. Yet, one of the different things is the “lab” finals. Last week I posted about my banquet operations final, and the themed table I set up.
I didn’t write about the basic cooking final on Monday. That made me very nervous, but it was super fun! I made grilled pork chops with red pepper –tomato Coulis, Parmesan Fennel, and corn bread. The chef gave us 3 hours to do our presentation; the ingredients were bought by us, supposedly a $10 budget (mine seemed to border on the $40 budget.) I got everything done in record time, the chef loved my written presentation, and on the actual lab I got a 97! I was very proud!!
For my hospitality final I did a Power Point and to top it off I baked luscious brownies, based on bean paste and honey. After all natural is better!!


Here is the recipe, which by the way got lots of good comments, from my culinary friends!!

White Bean Brownies
Source: 101 Cookbooks
Modified: Aracely Cardona

Ingredients:
4 ounces bitter chocolate
8oz unsalted butter
16oz canned white beans
8oz walnuts, chopped
.5fl oz vanilla extract
2 fl oz instant coffee
¼ tsp salt
4 large eggs
12oz honey

Procedure:
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line an 11- by 18-inch (rimmed) baking pan with parchment paper and lightly oil with canola oil spray.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a glass bowl in the microwave for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on high. Stir with a spoon to melt the chocolate completely. Place the beans, 1/2 cup of the walnuts, the vanilla extract, and a couple of spoonfuls of the melted chocolate mixture into the bowl of a food processor. Blend about 2 minutes, or until smooth. The batter should be thick and the beans smooth. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the remaining 1/2 cup walnuts, remaining melted chocolate mixture, coffee substitute, and salt. Mix well and set aside.
4. In another bowl, with an electric mixer beat the eggs until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the honey and beat well. Set aside.
5. Add the bean/chocolate mixture to the coffee/chocolate mixture. Stir until blended well. Add the egg mixture, reserving about 1/2 cup. Mix well.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Using an electric mixer beat the remaining 1/2 cup egg mixture until light and fluffy. Drizzle over the brownie batter. Use a wooden toothpick to pull the egg mixture through the batter, creating a marbled effect.
7. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the brownies are set. Let cool in the pan completely before cutting into squares. (They will be soft until refrigerated.)


Yield: 12-14 Servings