Many of you get this blog via RSS, that button you push to get a new post every time one is ready. What does RSS stand for? Really Simple Syndication.
Simple can be very good. At times, like on a hot summer day, we like our food simple. So in the coming weeks, I’ll post some Really Simple recipes: ones that are still delicious, yet very easy to make.
I said “summer” and summer is the time for ice cream. I’m neutral about nudity as a life style, but I adamantly believe ice cream should be fully dressed. Chocolate sauce, not just syrup but real sauce, is a staple in our kitchen.
This recipe, from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz, can be made in five minutes, stores for a couple of weeks, and makes any ice cream a treat.
Here are a couple of things you should know. First, David lives in Paris and has fully adopted the French style to marvelous desserts. So, this syrup is very good. And not very sweet. Be prepared to be a bit surprised at first, and then, upon consideration, fully pleased.
Second, this recipe calls for a cup of cocoa powder and David says get the best cocoa you can. He means it, for the dominant flavor is cocoa. Cocoa powder, good powder, is not cheap. A cup of cocoa powder is a culinary investment, but it’s the wise investment here. You’ll get well over a pint of sauce that gives you great mileage. The flavor is so intense that a small amount is all you need on your ice cream, in your shake, or in your coke. You do make chocolate cokes, don’t you?
Take five minutes and create this flavor multiplier.
Really Simple Chocolate Sauce
Yield: 2 cups
Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 cup corn syrup
4 ounces semisweet chocolate
Preparation:
Put the water, cocoa, and corn syrup in a tall saucepan. Whisk to blend, turn on the heat and whisk occasionally while bringing to a boil. When the mixture is boiling, lower the heat to simmer and whisk for three minutes.
Remove from the heat, add the semisweet chocolate, and whisk to mix. Serve while still warm. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate. This sauce stores in the refrigerator.
Why a tall sauce pan? When the mixture first begins to boil, it can double in volume in seconds. Be careful! If you need to, lift the pan from the heat and continue whisking.
Source: The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz