Thursday, April 3, 2008

Dessert: First Hot Fudge Sauce

Profiteroles with chocolate sauce

Homemade Hot fudge sauce is a lot like organizing old photos to me-- I always mean to make it, but I never do. Until last week. D and I were preparing for a dinner party, and we decided to throw all norms aside and make a chocolate sauce for our profiteroles (the most underrated and easiest dessert on earth). We read a few recipes and combined a few of our favorites. The sauce was scrumptious (or "scrump" as my friend AB used to say). When all was said and done, D and I realized one thing: we can never go back to store-bought fudge sauce. My recipe is below. There can be so many variations on a fudge sauce. At some point I'll add cinnamon for a Mexican flare, but I'll wait for the perfect ice cream flavor (dulce de leche, perhaps?).

Our First Hot Fudge Sauce

1/2 cup butter
four ounces unsweetened baking chocolate (I use Baker's, unless I'm feeling particularly snotty--then I reach for the Scharffen Berger.)
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups sugar
1 can evaporated milk


Chop baking chocolate into smaller pieces (I'm not specific about this, but the smaller the pieces, the faster it will melt). Over double broiler (with water on simmer), melt chocolate and butter. When both butter and chocolate are completely melted, add vanilla and sugar. Stir until completely blended. At this point, the mix will be strangely thick. Add evaporated milk and continue stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat. At this point, I pour the hot fudge into a jar and store it in our fridge. It keeps for a couple of months (that does not mean it lasts for a couple of months). I love this fudge sauce so much that when no one is looking, I sneak a spoonful just to fill my chocolate craving. And wouldn't you know it does the trick every time.

This all makes me wonder--do you buy pre-fab fudge sauce, or do you insist on the real deal?


7 comments:

Jennette said...

Delish! I gave up on all the store-bought sauces after Pauline Colton gave me her chocolate sauce recipe. I feel the same way about mix vs. scratch brownies: considering how easy it is to do the real thing and that the result is a zillion times better than the box, why would you ever do anything else!

Exception: last year Kami gave me a bottle of Scharffen Berger sauce for my b-day--wowee! Actually, I ended up eating the whole thing myself w/o ever sharing with Adam...because I'm just that kind of selfish when it comes to chocolate.

SLP said...

I recently found Ina Garten's fudge sauce at specialty store and LOVED it (I think she adds a little "desert juice" aka alcohol) to hers...divine!

You have much more patience then I do when it comes to baking, so I usually "cheat" and buy it...
Stacey

Anonymous said...

hey you baking wonder!!!
So fudge sauce eh??? My husband is a 'bit' of an ice cream snob - only the best, YET, he buys store bought sauce....you may need to educate him on the finer things in the sauce world (samples can be brought to 123 Winter Street)
Denise
PS Where is the corn bread recipe?!?!

Becky said...

This looks sooooo yummy! So yummy, in fact, that I think it is thwarting my efforts to steer clear of desserts 6 days a week--I need dessert once a day, especially when I read your blog. I look forward to an occasion to make this.
p.s. the coconut bars will not let you down!

Rachel said...

is that picture of your complete dessert? I don't know what profitieres something or anothers are, but we go both ways with the fudge sauce, but since its a rarity at our house, its usually the house recipe, but we're going to try yours next time.

Meghann said...

I LOVE home-made chocolate sauce, I feel like just drinking it straight from the little pitcher that holds it. Yum.

Anonymous said...

Looks yummy!