Flashback Friday - Hot Fudge

Is there anything better than a hot fudge sundae?

--Kathy

This post was originally published on May 13, 2011.
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Hot Fudge

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite treats was a hot fudge sundae from Read's. Read's was a local drugstore chain, and the one in my neighborhood had a full-service soda fountain/restaurant. If I went shopping with my grandma, I could almost guarantee a sundae was in my future - because she also enjoyed them. Although in those days my favorite ice cream was chocolate, I preferred my sundaes with vanilla because it didn't affect the flavor of the hot fudge. And a maraschino cherry on top, along with aerosol whipped cream, were de rigeur.

The other day, I was craving some hot fudge. I had just received two bags of sweetener with which to experiment, and I chose to use one of them, Xylitol, in the sauce. Xylitol, widely used as a sweetener in chewing gum, is a sugar alcohol sweetener that is roughly as sweet as sugar, but has only about 60% of the calories and a very low glycemic score, making it good for diabetics. I found that when tasted raw, on a damp finger, Xylitol tastes remarkably like sugar - more than artificial sweetners - with only a vague aftertaste. I found that when I cooked with the product, it tasted pretty much like the real thing, and worked like a charm in a basic hot fudge recipe.

Not that hot fudge sauce will ever be a diet recipe, or particularly safe for diabetics! I just wanted to play with the Xylitol and see if I noticed any difference in flavor. You may use 1/2 cup of regular sugar in the recipe, instead.

New-Fashioned Hot Fudge Sauce
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons boiling water
1 tablespoon salted butter
1/2 cup Xylitol
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix cocoa powder and water in a sauce pan, stirring until it forms a paste. Turn heat on to medium; add butter, Xylitol, corn syrup, and heavy cream, stirring to combine. Bring mixture up to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla.

Yields about 3/4 cup sauce.

Posted by theminx on Minxeats.com.


Posted on Minxeats.com.

Chocolate Sauce

When I received an e-mail asking if I'd like to sample some chocolate sauce, I responded with a resounding, "yes!" I loooove hot fudge, and have been searching for the ideal stuff for years. When I was a kid, I adored the hot fudge sundaes at Read's drug store. When I became an adult, I felt that the best hot fudge was served at Marconi's. Unfortunately, neither establishment exists today - huge losses for hot fudge lovers in Baltimore.

Chef Wheeler del Torro's hot fudge, which is sold through his Etsy shop and at 3 Scoops in Boston, hit all of the right notes for me. When cold, the sauce is very thick, with a pleasing grainy texture (like Marconi's), and is lovely when eaten directly from the jar. When heated and spooned over ice cream, the texture is smoother but the flavor is no less intensely chocolate. Adding a maraschino cherry to the top gave me Read's flashbacks.

But wait - there's more. Not only does Chef Del Torro make some lovely plain hot fudge, but he also produces small batch chocolate sauces in flavors like 7 Chocolate, Mayan Mint, Jamaican Hot Chocolate Pepper, Rose, Coconut, Orange, and Salted Chocolate - all of which have got to be scrumptious. I'm especially curious about the Rose and Jamaican Hot Chocolate flavors. If anyone out there gives them a try, I'd love to know what you think about them.

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats.

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Hot Fudge

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite treats was a hot fudge sundae from Read's. Read's was a local drugstore chain, and the one in my neighborhood had a full-service soda fountain/restaurant. If I went shopping with my grandma, I could almost guarantee a sundae was in my future - because she also enjoyed them. Although in those days my favorite ice cream was chocolate, I preferred my sundaes with vanilla because it didn't affect the flavor of the hot fudge. And a maraschino cherry on top, along with aerosol whipped cream, were de rigeur.

The other day, I was craving some hot fudge. I had just received two bags of sweetener with which to experiment, and I chose to use one of them, Xylitol, in the sauce. Xylitol, widely used as a sweetener in chewing gum, is a sugar alcohol sweetener that is roughly as sweet as sugar, but has only about 60% of the calories and a very low glycemic score, making it good for diabetics. I found that when tasted raw, on a damp finger, Xylitol tastes remarkably like sugar - more than artificial sweetners - with only a vague aftertaste. I found that when I cooked with the product, it tasted pretty much like the real thing, and worked like a charm in a basic hot fudge recipe.

Not that hot fudge sauce will ever be a diet recipe, or particularly safe for diabetics! I just wanted to play with the Xylitol and see if I noticed any difference in flavor. You may use 1/2 cup of regular sugar in the recipe, instead.

New-Fashioned Hot Fudge Sauce
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons boiling water
1 tablespoon salted butter
1/2 cup Xylitol
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix cocoa powder and water in a sauce pan, stirring until it forms a paste. Turn heat on to medium; add butter, Xylitol, corn syrup, and heavy cream, stirring to combine. Bring mixture up to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla.

Yields about 3/4 cup sauce.

Posted by theminx on Minxeats.com.

Breyer's Sundae Contest

I posted this pic last month in my "Food Pr0n" post, and now I can give you details. This sundae with chocolate/bacon/caramel and toasted salted almonds was my entry in the 2010 Breyer's Sundae Showcase. The grand prize was a trip to Chicago, a cooking lesson with Gale Gand, and $10K.

I didn't win. :(

Caramel Surprise Sundae

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 oz of your favorite high-quality milk chocolate
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 strips of bacon, cooked crisp and diced

¼ cup roasted salted almonds, chopped
2 cups Breyer’s French Vanilla Ice Cream

Place sugar in a dry 1-quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat and cook until it begins to melt, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a fork, until sugar is melted into a deep golden caramel, about another minute. Remove caramel from heat and carefully pour in heavy cream, which will cause the mixture to bubble. Return pan to heat and whisk constantly to remelt the caramel and incorporate the cream. Once mixture is smooth, turn off the heat and whisk in chocolate and butter until melted and well-blended. Stir in bacon.

Scoop ½ cup of Breyer’s French Vanilla ice cream into each of four serving dishes. Top with 1 tablespoons of warm bacon caramel sauce and a teaspoon of the chopped nuts.

Food Pr0n

I thought I'd at least share some images from the cooking I did last weekend since I can't yet share the recipes.