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1
Preheat the oven to 230 C. Grease an 8 x 9 brownie pan and line it with parchment paper. I always advise this because it so easy to remove the brownies from the pan.
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2
In a small bowl, combine the pitted cherries with the 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. Mix well. Place cherries on a well oiled rimmed baking tray and bake them for approximately 10 minutes. When the cherries are done, juices will be flowing from the fruit and they will look a darker red. Set the cherries aside.
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3
Change the temperature on the oven to 200 C. While the oven temperature is cooling down, prepare the brownie mixture.
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4
Break up the bittersweet chocolate and place it in a large, microwave proof bowl with the butter. Microwave the butter and chocolate in 30 second increments until the butter and chocolate have melted together.
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5
Then add the sugars into the bowl with the melted chocolate mixture. Whisk until the mixture is well combined. Add the eggs and vanilla at once and whisk until well combined.
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6
Sift the flour and salt into the mixture and using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture together. Be careful here not to overmix the brownie batter.
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7
Stir the chocolate bits and roasted cherries into the mixture. Make sure both ingredients are evenly spread throughout the brownie batter.
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8
Pour the batter, which should be heavy and thick, into the prepared brownie pan. Place it in the oven and cook for 20-30 minutes. Keep an eye on the brownies after 20 minutes because you don't want the edge of the brownies to burn. As there are cherries in the mixture, it may need to cook for at least 25 minutes. This will depend on the oven though. The mixture may seem slightly under-cooked when you first take it out of the oven, but once it has cooled the brownies remain fudgy yet firm.
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9
When done, remove the pan from the oven. Allow the brownies to cool for 10 minutes, while changing the oven temperature back to 230 C.
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10
While the brownies are cooling, make the roasted cherry ganache. Follow the initial step for the brownies to roast the cherries. Place cherries on a well oiled rimmed baking tray and bake them for approximately 10 minutes. Then remove them from the oven and set them aside.
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11
Once the brownie has cooled slightly (it does not have to be fully cooled) pour the roasted cherries over the brownie mixture. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, whichever is easier, spread the cherries over the entire brownie surface. Leave this to cool.
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12
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, mix the cream and dark chocolate together to make ganache. The ganache will be done when the mixture has turned a dark brown and is really thick. Take the ganache off the heat and allow to cool for a moment.
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13
Then, pour the ganache over the brownie base and roasted cherry. Very carefully spread the ganache so it covers the entire surface of the brownie. It should cover most of the cherries, but some will stick out.
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14
Allow to cool completely before slicing.
