It’s Not a Mistake; It’s a Creation

“It was a fluky thing,” says Robert Wemischner, remembering the day the huge industrial mixer was accidentally left on, overbeating the brownie dough.

The brownie incident occurred during a professional baking class at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College. Wemischner and co-instructor Deborah Thompson didn’t want to throw the dough out. That would have been wasteful. Besides, something sweet was needed for an upcoming reception to show off the work of the culinary arts department.

So what happened? The reception went off as planned. And the brownies were a great success. Only no one knew they were brownies. They turned up as a tart filling. Piped into tender, buttery tart shells, the cake-like, pale dough had metamorphosed from failure to stardom. But fame, as we know, is fleeting. The tarts were gone in seconds. They deserve another appearance, though, so here is the recipe, supplied by Wemischner.

L.A. TRADE-TECH’S BROWNIE MISTAKE

1/2 pound semisweet chocolate

1/2 pound butter

1/2 pound eggs (3 to 4)

1 1 /2 cups sugar

1/4 pound flour, about 1 cup

Tart Shells

Chocolate Glaze, optional

Melt chocolate and butter together in top of double boiler. Allow to cool slightly. Beat eggs and sugar together until light and lemon-colored. Add chocolate mixture to eggs. Sift in flour and beat until light in texture and color lightens.

Place in pastry bag and pipe into unbaked Tart Shells placed in tins on baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees 15 minutes. Cool on rack. If desired, spoon Chocolate Glaze on tops. Makes 30.

Each pastry contains about:

267 calories; 72 mg sodium; 61 mg cholesterol; 16 grams fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.11 gram fiber.

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Tart Shells

1/2 pound unsalted butter

3/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 egg

2 3/4 cups pastry flour

Cream butter and sugar with mixer until light and lemon-colored. Add egg and mix well. Add flour and mix until thoroughly blended, scraping down mixer bowl occasionally.

Turn out onto floured surface and knead lightly until pastry holds together. Flatten into disk. Chill 1 hour. Roll out on lightly floured surface 1/8 inch thick. Cut with 3 3/4-inch round cutter. Fit into 3-inch tart shells, trimming off any excess pastry at edges. Place on baking sheet and fill with brownie mixture.

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Chocolate Glaze

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 pound semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Bring cream to boil. Pour over chocolate in bowl. Stir until melted. Cool to room temperature before using.

Angels in photo from the Crossroads in South Pasadena.