Brownies with Citrus Salad

I tried the brownie recipe from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc. It's not the simplest brownie recipe, but it's well worth the extra effort. They were perfect. Richly chocolaty, tender, fudgy but still extraordinarily light. Oh gosh.

I cut them with a fluted biscuit cutter and served them with a citrus and mint salad, candied pecans, and a vanilla mascarpone cream. The buttery, chocolaty, sweet brownies were complemented by the crunchy pecans, the light and ever so slightly tangy cream, and the tart citrus salad. I always like a citrus and basil salad, but this was extra good. It's citrus season so I had the pick of the crop; I used blood oranges and pink grapefruits for the salad. I just thought the colors would be pretty, and they were!

If I'd had the patience (or the motivation) I would have tempered some chocolate and made a chocolate cigarette or two to decorate the plate. I might have also glazed the brownie. Both of the touches would have added a little extra flair and a little extra chocolate. But I'm still quite happy with what I did.