Hot Fudge Sauce
introduction
A great hot fudge sauce boils down to balance, proportion, and beautiful ingredients. (Suggestive adjectives and batteries not included.) We think we nailed it. This is a heavy-flowing sauce unburdened by extraneous ingredients with a persistent lingering finish and just the narrowest trail of bitterness. We like Valrhona bittersweet chocolate and Pernigotti cocoa in particular. For the cream look for three words: organic pasteurized cream. The best brands tend to be on the West Coast, but what else is new? Some of them are in national distribution.
equipment mise en place
For this recipe, you will need a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan and a whisk.
-
-
8ounces (1 cup) heavy cream
-
1ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted European-style butter
-
1.75ounces (¼ cup) granulated sugar
-
1.5ounces (3 tablespoons packed) dark brown sugar
-
⅛teaspoon fine sea salt
-
1ounce high-quality bittersweet chocolate (61 percent cocoa), chopped
-
2.1ounces (½ cup plus 2 tablespoons) sifted high-quality Dutch-processed cocoa powder
-
¼teaspoon vanilla extract
-
-
In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the cream, butter, sugars, and salt and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the sugars have dissolved and the mixture is gently bubbling, remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate, and whisk until smooth. Add the cocoa and whisk until no lumps remain. Return the pan to low heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is glossy and slightly thickened, 30 to 60 seconds. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Serve the sauce warm. (Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. To reheat, warm in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly; do not let the sauce boil. If the sauce separates, whisk in 1 to 2 tablespoons of heavy cream to restore its consistency and luster.)