Mushrooms, Brownies

DEAR SOS: The plain chocolate brownies at Some Crust Bakery in Claremont are a dark-chocolate lover’s dream. Do you think they might share the recipe?

--JOELLEN

DEAR JOELLEN: Sure, they would. And thanks. Light-chocolate lovers love them too.

SOME CRUST DARK-CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

1/2 pound unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup tiny chocolate chips

1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts

In bowl cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Continue to beat while adding eggs, 1 at time, until mixture is pale in color. Set aside.

Sift flour and cocoa into separate bowl. Add salt and baking powder. Mix until dry ingredients are well combined. Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture, beating only enough to mix thoroughly. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts.

Pour into well-buttered 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees until brownies are firm, about 25 minutes. Cool, then cut into squares.

Makes 24 brownies.

Each serving contains about:

159 calories; 75 mg sodium; 57 mg cholesterol; 11 grams fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.22 gram fiber.

*

DEAR SOS: Some time ago you printed a recipe for stuffed mushrooms. Well, we kept the recipe, but in the earthquake of January of 1994 it was lost, and we would love to have it back. It contained pine nuts, among other ingredients.

--ROSA

DEAR ROSA: I hope this is the recipe you want.

STUFFED MUSHROOMS

1 pound large mushrooms

1/4 cup butter

2 tablespoons minced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup pine nuts or chopped pecans

2 eggs, beaten

Salt, pepper

1/4 cup Marsala, white wine or water, optional

Additional pine nuts for garnish

Wipe mushrooms with damp cloth. Remove stems. Slice stems only. Set aside.

In saucepan melt butter. Add onion and garlic. Cook until onion is tender. Add sliced mushroom stems and cook 2 minutes. Stir in parsley, bread crumbs, cheese, nuts, eggs and salt and pepper to taste. If too moist, add more crumbs. If too dry, add enough Marsala to make moist stuffing.

Stuff into mushroom caps and stick few pine nuts into stuffing. Pour water into shallow baking dish and arrange mushrooms, stuffed side up, snugly in pan. Bake at 400 degrees until mushrooms are tender, about 20 minutes.

Makes 24 appetizers.

Each serving contains about:

65 calories; 107 mg sodium; 25 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.19 gram fiber.