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Ingredients:

Chocolate Sauce:

12 ounces (340 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces

1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup (66 grams) granulated white sugar

1/3 cup (80 ml) light corn syrup

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon strong liquor, such as rum, or liqueurs such as Grand Marnier or brandy (optional)

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Instructions:

Chocolate Sauce: Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel bowl and set aside.

Combine the cream, sugar, and corn syrup in a saucepan and place over low heat. Bring to a boil, stirring often.

Remove from heat and pour immediately over the chocolate. Let stand until the chocolate has melted, then stir until smooth.

Stir in the vanilla extract and alcohol, if using.

Store the sauce in the refrigerator in a tightly covered container for up to two weeks. Reheat over simmering water before serving.

Makes about 2 cups. Preparation time 15 minutes.


Description:

Who doesn't love pouring warm chocolate sauce over a bowl of cold vanilla ice cream or using it as a dip for fresh strawberries? Defining Chocolate Sauce doesn't do it justice for strictly speaking it is a pourable liquid of melted chocolate, cream and sometimes butter that is usually sweetened with sugar and flavored with extracts, liquors or liqueurs. Sounds nice but what this doesn't say is that if you use a high quality silky smooth semisweet chocolate, rich cream, a little sugar, and good flavoring you will have a delectable sauce that beats anything out of a jar.

Chocolate is the dominant flavors in this recipe, so use a good quality chocolate that you enjoy eating out-of-hand. When choosing chocolate, look for one that has a lovely shiny finish (a sign that the chocolate was cooked at the right temperature for the right amount of time) and one that has that wonderful 'snap' when you break it into pieces. If you like you can use a couple of different chocolates which will give the sauce a more complex flavor. Good choices are Lindt, Callebaut, and Scharffen Berger. Also, if you have a weakness for Nutella, that lovely hazelnut spread, try adding 1/4 cup to the finished sauce and add 1 tablespoon of Frangelico to heighten the hazelnut flavor. Once the chocolate sauce cools, if you find it too thick for your liking, just add a little more cream until you achieve the desired consistency. This sauce will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. Just reheat the sauce before using.