Hot Fudge Sauce (to beat all other hot fudge sauces)

We have favorite brands of products.  I am rather devoted to those which I love and often I would rather by none at all rather than a different brand.  Thus, I found myself without the promised chocolate sauce for Madeleine's birthday angel food cake.

I knew I had made Dorie Greenspan's chocolate sauce before and loved it, but this is the summer of Ruth.  I turned to my summer cookbook and found a hot fudge recipe.

After one child guest told us it must be made out of all fake things because it had corn syrup in it (someone asked how I made it), I took a deep breath and went to my happy place.  I didn't have to wait long for her (and everyone else) to get over the "fake stuff" and talk about how wonderful the sauce was.

If you make this, use the best chocolate you can.  We used our Chicago chocolate (from Blommer's--a chocolate factory who filled our Architectural boat tour with a wonderful aroma) and this sauce was amazing.  I may be hording it a bit in the fridge and hoping everyone else forgets about it so there is more to myself.  I don't think that's really possible though.

Makes about 2 cups

Hot Fudge Sauce
adapted slightly from Ruth Reichl's My Kitchen Year

2/3 c heavy cream
1/3 c brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 cocoa powder (Dutch processed is preferable)
1/2 c light corn syrup
6 oz bittersweet chocolate (coarsely chopped or in chip form)
2 T butter
1 t instant espresso powder
1 t vanilla

Combine heavy cream, brown sugar, salt, and cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium heat.  When the mixture has reached a smooth consistency, stir in the corn syrup.  Continue to stir frequently over medium heat and add the bittersweet chocolate.  Stir constantly and bring the sauce to a near (or slow) boil.  Once the sauce is thick and rippling, stir in the butter and instant espresso powder.  Once the butter has melted and is incorporated, stir in the vanilla.  Keep warm until ready to pour on ice cream (if it's soonish) or allow to cool and store in the refrigerator until you need it.  Microwave cooled sauce briefly to heat up and soften.  Pour over ice cream or angel food cake (and berries!).

Vanilla and Intensely Rich Chocolate Frozen Custard

I have learned this summer that frozen custard and ice cream are not the same thing.  I prefer frozen custard.  Ice cream tends to leave that funny, fat coating on my spoon and then on my tongue.  Frozen custard leaves none of that but doesn't sacrifice richness.

This chocolate frozen custard is intensely rich.  I am a chocolate lover and I only could manage one scoop.  I'm not complaining.  It's not often ice cream or custard has such a wonderful chocolate flavor.

The base for the chocolate is a vanilla recipe.  The vanilla recipe received mixed reviews in my family.  M thought it was great, Curtis not so much.

Vanilla Frozen Custard
adapted a hair from Bon Appetit magazine

1 1/2 c heavy (whipping) cream
1 c milk (I use skim without any problems)
1/2 c sugar, divided
pinch of salt
1 t vanilla
5 large egg yolks

In a medium saucepan, combine cream, milk, 1/4 c sugar, pinch of salt, and vanilla.  Bring the mixture just to a boil, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat.  In a heat proof bowl or glass measuring cup (my preference), beat the 5 egg yolks and the remaining 1/4 c sugar, until pale yellow and thickened (it should form "the ribbon").  Gradually whisk in 1/2 c or so of the hot milk.  This is tempering the eggs so they don't scramble when they are come in contact with the hot milk.  Slowly whisk the hot egg/milk mixture into the saucepan of milk and cream.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat a wooden spoon.  (In other words, if the custard is on the back of the spoon, you can draw your finger through the custard and it doesn't run down over the finger line immediately.)  Be careful not to overcook so the eggs don't scramble or clump.

If your custard is smooth, pour into another bowl.  Place bowl in a bowl of ice water and stir occasionally until custard is cool.  Process according to your ice cream maker directions.  Try not to eat all of the custard before you freeze it, which is always an issue for me.

The plain vanilla frozen custard makes about 3 1/2 c.


Chocolate Frozen Custard
adapted from the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Book

one recipe of vanilla frozen custard, hot off the stove
1/2 c sugar
4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

Place unsweetened chocolate and 1/2 c sugar in a bowl.  Pour the hot vanilla custard over the chocolate and sugar.  Let sit for a couple of minutes or so and then stir to melt and incorporate chocolate.  Place bowl of chocolate custard over another bowl of ice water and stir occasionally until custard is cool.  Process according to your ice cream maker directions.

The chocolate frozen custard makes about 1 quart.