Home Cooking
I had many, many fudge sauces to chose from and for the single reason that I've been using too many recipes from "The Perfect Scoop", I went for the one in "Ben and Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream and Dessert Book". You might not know about these guys but apparently their ice-cream chain is very popular in the States. I bought this book as another recommendation for fool-proof great tasting ice-cream recipes. I've yet to make an actual ice-cream mix from the book but I had a great time reading the story of how they started out. It's a really inspirational and warm story so if you manage to get your hands on the book, I hope you take the time to read through it too.
There are no photos for this because all there is to the preparation is just melting a whole heap of good things together to get another good thing. I've already posted photos of a saucepan piled with butter and chocolate so if you need visual hints, refer back to those :).
Ben and Jerry recommend you cook your sauce in the top of a double boiler, over simmering water. I just used a non-stick saucepan at low heat and kept my eye on it. I don't know if it's because of the sheer mass of their fudge, or because of their cooking method but at several steps, you're supposed to simmer and stir for 20min or 1hr. I just combined the ingredients in order in the saucepan, letting it all melt and mingle before the next addition.
Hot Fudge Sauce
Makes 1 Liter (I divided the recipe by 1/3 when I used it. You can adjust to your own needs)
Ingredients:
- 120g unsweetened chocolate (I just used Lindt milk chocolate)
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
1. Melt the chocolate and butter in a saucepan, stirring frequently. Add the cocoa powder and whisk till dissolved.
2. Gradually stir in the sugar (mixture should be the consistency of wet sand). Cook, stirring occasionally till all melted and combined.
3. Stir in the milk and cream and keep stirring till completely blended. Fudge is ready when it is completely smooth and all sugar is dissolved.
Note: you can add flavoring the the fudge e.g. peppermint, Grand Marnier, almond extract etc etc.
My verdict is that this fudge is wonderful. It's so very thick and even though I used milk chocolate, the final appearance was dark and gleaming. It tasted a bit like the fudge McDonalds uses on their sundaes but much thicker and better. I think the combination of molten chocolate and cocoa powder adds a nice richness and complexity to the taste. Because the fudge is so thick, it's not easy to pour but it definitely tastes good. If you let it cool down, you'll need to reheat in the saucepan over low heat (stir a bit to loosen the mixture up) to bring it to pouring consistency.
I just love this cookbook - so many good recipes, and I just use eggbeaters instead of raw eggs!
ReplyDeleteThis hot fudge - this is SUCH a good recipe! My favorites are the original and peppermint (though I've tried all four, and I think it's just which flavors you love best). I just made two hot fudge sauces side by side today (this one, and America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook), and this is my favorite because it's a little more rich-chocolately. My husband slightly prefers the ATK recipe because it's a little sweeter. (They're both really good). This is such amazing hot fudge sauce!!! And, if I don't want four cups of it, it is easily divided, and instead of my huge double boiler I just use a small metal bowl set over a small saucepan.
If you like peanut butter, I just took some of the leftover hot fudge sauce and made "Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Sauce" (www.cookscountry.com). You microwave a cup of hot fudge sauce in a microwave-safe bowl until hot, about 1 minute. Whisk in 2 Tablespoons peanut butter, 4 teaspoons water, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Also delicious!