Recipe
I’d nearly forgotten how much I love a chocolate sundae.
A few weeks ago, Julia had a school pal over for dinner and a sleep-over, and they requested chocolate sundaes for dessert. I didn’t have any chocolate sauce on hand, and the choices at the market were pretty uninspiring, so I decided to make some. It went over well –and not just with the kids.
A few batches later, I think I’ve perfected the recipe. It’s simple, and it only takes a few minutes to make the best chocolate sauce you’ve ever had.
The key to a good sundae, of course, is the ingredients. The best vanilla ice cream, and good chocolate. But I think you can use common sense here: you don’t need to use $30 worth of artisanal chocolate bars to make a great sundae sauce. You can find good, reasonably priced semisweet chocolate sold by the pound in good supermarkets, baking specialty stores and online.
Ingredients
8 oz (225g) semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup (235ml) heavy cream
1/2 cup (120ml) light corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
a pinch or two of salt.
Instructions
1. Chop the chocolate into approximately bite-sized pieces. (Be very careful if you’re chopping a thick chunk of chocolate. You’ll be bearing down on your knife pretty hard, and if it slips, your fingers will be in real trouble.)
2. Put the chocolate and butter into a heatproof bowl. Eat at least two pieces of chocolate –just to make sure it tastes right.
3. Heat the cream and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat until it simmers. Then pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for 3-4 minutes until the chocolate is soft.
4. Add the vanilla and whisk the mixture until it’s smooth. Taste and season with a pinch or two of salt, if desired. Taste again. And maybe just once more.
5. Pour the sauce into a resealable container. It will keep in the fridge for several weeks. To reheat, just spoon out the amount of sauce you plan to use into a heatproof bowl or pitcher (be generous with yourself). Put that container into a saucepan filled with water to about half-way up the sides of the container and heat on the stove until the sauce is warm and pourable.
Serve over ice cream. Or on a spoon.
