PITTSBURGH — Most every restaurant worth its salt (and sugar) has a killer dessert on the menu that assures diners will leave the table on a sweet and happy note.

If it's prepared on site, that often entails employing a professional pastry chef, which can prove expensive for places that are new and trying to keep costs down while getting established.

That was Cory Hughes' quandary when he opened Fig & Ash on East Ohio Street in Pittsburgh's North Side Deutschtown neighborhood with his brother-in-law, Alex Feltovich, in 2020.

Hughes — a former Marine who was an executive chef at Google's Pittsburgh campus and has also cooked in several restaurants around town including Six Penn Kitchen, Eleven Contemporary Kitchen and Spoon — knew he wanted an approachable dessert that would be easy to plate and, perhaps, lend itself to sharing.

But with limited staff, he also knew he couldn't go super fancy, at least not right out of the gate.

What he and his culinary staff ended up deciding on after considerable deliberation was a confection that most people have loved since they were kids: an upscale version of a thick and gooey chocolate brownie.

Or as he frames it, "We wanted to do something nostalgic."

Originally, Hughes thought they might be able to create the dessert using the restaurant's wood-fired oven. When that proved unsuccessful for various reasons, they opted for the next best thing — making it "camping-style" by cooking it in individual cast-iron skillets.

While the first couple of batches were tasty enough, Hughes says the dessert didn't prove great until he tweaked the batter with a better chocolate — he uses Callebaut dark chocolate pistoles crafted in Belgium — and added a little Kahlua, a liqueur made with rum, sugar and arabica coffee beans.

"It gave it the flavor I was looking for," he says. "What goes better after dinner than coffee?"

The result is a gooey brownie with a cakey exterior that reminds Hughes of the chocolate batter he used to lick off a spoon when he was a kid.

Today, the dessert is a Fig & Ash mainstay, a dessert so beloved that on the rare occasion Hughes takes it off the menu, "people complain."

To keep it fresh, the restaurant occasionally changes up the flavor of local ice cream that goes on top. Currently, it's being served with Millie's Homemade Coffee Break, which is made in the company's Homestead production facility using freshly brewed, sustainably sourced coffee and Pennsylvania sweet cream.

The dessert is further elevated by a sprinkle of Maldon sea salt flakes, which adds a crackle of salty flavor.

"It's just a really feel-good dessert," says Hughes of the lovely salty-sweet combo.

Fig & Ash Cast-Iron Kahlua Brownies

PG tested

This recipe is a (very) scaled-down version of the dessert that's been made at Fig & Ash since its opening in 2020. It requires individual-sized (10-ounce) cast-iron skillets.

Pistoles look like slightly larger, slightly flatter chocolate chips. They melt more quickly and don't need to be chopped.

1 pound butter, diced

18 ounces chocolate pistoles

8 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 tablespoon salt

2 cups white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon Kahlua coffee liqueur

Vanilla or coffee ice cream, for topping

Flaky salt for garnish, such as Maldon

Melt butter in saucepan. Once melted, stir in the chocolate pistoles. Let sit until you have a melty pool of chocolate.

In large bowl, whisk eggs completely. Fold in vanilla, salt, sugar, brown sugar and melted chocolate, and whisk until incorporated.

Add in flour and stir until fully incorporated.

Spray 8 individual-sized (10-ounce) cast iron skillets with shortening to prevent sticking.

Divide batter among skillets.

Bake at 350 degrees for 22 minutes. Remove from oven and top with a scoop of vanilla or coffee ice cream and a sprinkle of flaky salt, such as Maldon.

Serve immediately.

Serves 8.

— Cory Hughes, Fig & Ash

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