Chocolate Lovers BEware!

If you read my post on Nutella a while back you will remember I promised to figure out the chocolate purse recipe that Giada De Laurentiis raved about on the Foodnetwork show "The Best Thing I Ever Ate". After several attempt at this recipe I think I have it down. It's hard to know, because I have not tasted the original that Giada was so crazy about. But this is pretty darn decedant. So if you LOVE chocolate and you want to make something yummy and sexy for your honey on Valentines day then this is IT!


Here are the main players in this recipe. I have to say a few things first before I give you the low-down on how to create this yummy package. First of all, I started out by making a flourless chocolate cake and using that as the treat in the purse, but it was alot of work and the brownie mix was the more popular choice by the judges. Also I did a moderate search in my area for hazelnuts and came up with nothin'! I felt like I was in Germany looking for peanuts! I think chopped up hazelnuts would definetly put this over the edge...so even though I did not use them I am adding them into the recipe.

So here is my interpretation of Giada's fave "chocolate purse". Depending on how many you need to make you will most likely have some brownie mix left over, put it in a pan and bake it up or use your mini muffin tins and make bite sized treats.

1 package double chocolate brownie mix, like Ghirardellis
1 egg
1/3 cup vegatable oil
1/4 cup water
Nutella
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon chopped hazelnuts PER chocolate purse
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
fillo dough 2 half sheets per purse
*you will also need parchment paper, cooking type string(for lack of a better word!)
medium sized melon baller scooper thingy and a pastry brush

1. preheat oven to 325. Start by making your brownie mix. No need for a mixer just get out a bowl and an old fashioned wire whisk. Add the egg, water and oil.

2. Next you want to take two sheets of your thawed fillo dough(where I come from, you only get this stuff in the freezer section) cut them in half like so..so you have two sets of two 1/2 sheets, get it!


3. Now you need to take 1 tablespoon of butter and melt it in your microwave. Now brush a light coat of butter over the top sheet of fillo. Like so....


4. now you need to take your scooper and get 1 good scoop of the brownie dough and set it right down in the middle of the fillo.

5. now for the piece de resistance', sorry I sometime think I can speak French when I am writing about food...Voila! Add a teaspoon full of Nutella right on the top of that dough! This is the point where I would have sprinkled 1/2 tablespoon of chopped hazelnuts on the inside...so do that if you are so lucky to have found the lil' buggers. (the other 1/2 tablespoon will be reserved for the garnish at the end)

Here it comes...do I here a oooh aaah?

6. Now for the semi-hard part. I actually had a few casualties before I got it right so hang in there... now you need to pull the fillo pastry up around the dough in a manner that leaves no big gaps for the chocolate to pour out.
a.

b.

c.

Now take your string and tie loosely so you can take it off easily before you dig in. I don't want you choking on string...it might ruin the "moment"!

7. give them a little brush with butter and put in the oven to bake for 12-15 minutes until just starting to turn golden brown. Some of the chocolate will ooze out that's ok it did on the Foodnetwork too.



Nutella Ganache
Take 2 tablespoons of nutella and 1 tablespoon butter, put them in a a container you can pour from....like a glass measuring cup, now melt in microwave for 15 seconds NO more! Take a fork or a small whisk and blend the nutella and butter together now add a dash of heavy whip cream just enough to make it the right consistency to drizzle on your plate.

After melting nutella and butter together add the whipping cream, whisk together...

drizzle in any fashion you like...

Now sprinkle the hazelnuts on there and set your purse down on top of that yummy Nutellalicious ganache. You should wait at least 5 minutes to eat after you take it out to the oven, but don't wait too long, you want it to be warm and oohee-goey.

WARNING this dessert is not for the light of heart, when it comes to chocolate. It is crazy rich and could cause seizure like symptoms...rolling back of eyes in head, tossing back of the head, arms flailing out to the sides. Be prepared.

Happy Valentines Day!