2 for 1: Sunken Soufflé Cake and the Best Brownies Ever

     Soufflé is one of my favorite things. Even though making it the right way isn't as hard as most people expect, sometimes the fact that it leaves little room for error can be frustrating. Hoping that it doesn't sink before you serve it can be nerve wracking. But what if we didn't have to worry about it sinking? What if that was actually the point? When soufflé sinks, it gets dense and chewy in the best way, taking on a similar consistency to a flourless chocolate cake. Plus, it's really hard to mess it up. So after some thought, I made this cake one way, which turned out great, and as I was eating it, it dawned on me. What other popular dessert is dense, chewy, and chocolaty? That's right, with a few tweaks, this recipe could turn into the best brownies in the world.
     Now because I always like to add a twist to things, I included a secret ingredient. Everyone knows about my unconditional love of basil. I'll use it in pretty much anything. I've used it in a few desserts before, but never with chocolate, and just out of curiosity, I wanted to know if it would work. I really loved the sublet little hint of freshness that it added, but I honestly don't know what others would think. So then I got another interesting idea. For a more familiar flavor, switch out the basil for fresh mint. In fact, mint would probably be better if you're making this into brownies. Of you could just skip the herbs and make it pure chocolate.

INGREDIENTS: (makes a 9-inch round cake or 8x8 square batch of brownies)
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 sticks of butter, cut into cubes
3/4 cup sugar
Optional: 1/2 cup fresh basil or mint (use mint for brownies)
1/4 cup flour
pinch of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
5 eggs, separated and at room temperature

For ganache:
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease and flour a 9 inch springform pan or 8x8 square one.
2. If you're choosing to use basil or mint, it needs to be infused with the sugar. You can do this by chopping it and then rubbing it into the sugar for a few minutes by hand, or preferably by pulsing it in a food processor. Then, cover it and let it sit for 1 hour. If you did it by hand, you'll then need to sift out the large pieces of the leaves before continuing. The food processor version looks like this and smells wonderful!

3. Melt the chocolate chips with the butter in the microwave or over a double boiler. Let cool slightly, then whisk in the vanilla, salt, sugar, egg yolks, and finally the flour.
4. In a chilled metal bowl, whip the egg whites on high until the form stiff peaks (firmer than the constancy of whipped cream).
5. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate batter. It's okay if it doesn't look completely smooth, just don't overwork it.

6. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Try to avoid opening the oven in the first 30 minutes. First, the cake will fluff up, and within minutes after removing it from the oven, it'll start to sink. Let it cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then run a knife along the sides, and invert it onto a serving plate. The edges may get crumbly as it sinks, so treat it gently. Chill the cake (or brownies) in the fridge before frosting, so it gets really dense.

7. To make the ganache, melt the chocolate chips wight he heavy cream in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Let it cool until it thickens just enough to spread with a spoon. Then pour/spread it on the cake and store it in the fridge. It's actually even better a day later.

Enjoy! This one's really a favorite!