Cardamom Brownies

MAKES 20

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, fi nely chopped
2 ¼ sticks (9 ounces) unsalted butter, at room
temperature
4 large eggs
1 ¼ cups sugar
15 cardamom pods, seeded and ground
1 cup all purpose fl our
1 ¼ cups pecans, lightly roasted and coarsely chopped

Pre heat the oven to 350 º F

Butter a 9 x 12 inch baking pan, fi t the bottom with a piece of baking paper and dust the inside of the pan with fl our; tap the excess fl our out and set aside. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water or a microwave oven. Remove the chocolate from the heat and cool it slightly.

In a large mixing bowl, with a flexible rubber spatula beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Stir in the chocolate. Gradually add the eggs, then add the sugar and ground cardamom, followed by the fl our and nuts, stirring using a whisk until all the ingredients are incorporated. Do not beat or aerate. Scrape the batter into the baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

The top of the cake will be dry, but a knife inserted in the center will come out wet. Transfer the pan on a cooling rack and allow the brownies to cool for 30 minutes.

Run a knife around the edges of the pan and unmould the brownies, remove the baking paper, cut the brownies and serve.