Tahini and Halva Brownies

Preheat the oven to 400F. Grease pan and line with parchment paper and then set aside. Place butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, make sure that the base if the bowl is not touching the water. Leave for about 2 minutes to melt, then remove the bowl from the heat. Stir until you have a thick shiny sauce and set aside to come to room temperature. Place the eggs and sugar in a large bowl and whisk until pale and creamy and a trail is left behind when you move the whisk; this will take about 3 minutes with an electric mixer, longer by hand (this will differ based on what mixer you use and the speed). Add the chocolate and fold through gently with a spatula (make sure to not overwork the mixture). Sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt into a bowl, then gently fold into the chocolate mixture. Finally, add the pieces of halva, gently fold through the mix, then pour or scrape the mixture into the lined baking pan , use a small spatula to even it out. Dollop small spoonfuls of tahini paste into the mix in around 12 places, then use a skewer to swirl them through the batter to create a marbled effect, taking the marbling to the edges of the pan. Bake for about 23 minutes, until the middle has a slight wobble and it is gooey inside, they may be ready anywhere between 22 and 25 minutes. They may seem a little undercooked at first, but they will firm up once they start to cool down. If you want to serve them warm and gooey, set aside for just 30 minutes before cutting into 16 pieces. Otherwise, set aside for longer and let cool to room temperature.

Respects to Sweet by Goh Helen and Yotam Ottolenghi