Lately I have been on an ice-cream making kick. (My culinary inspirations go in phases. It was biscotti a few months ago; now it’s ice cream. I just ride them while they last.) My favorite recipes have been those of Jeni Britton Baur (of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home); they’re a little more involved and labor-intensive, but they make some of the most amazing ice creams I’ve ever had (including Coldstone’s). The basic ice cream base is amazing with berries and chocolate; it’s like Coldston’es Sweet Cream. Lemon is one of our favorites and it’s even better made with limes. And I love anything salted caramel; I’ve been putting this in my cold brew coffee lately.
Interestingly, though I love dark chocolate, I wasn’t super crazy about dark chocolate ice cream; I prefer other ice creams (especially sweet cream, lemon or lime) served with a really, really dark chocolate sauce. We love this recipe; it’s fast, super-dark and rich and goes really well with most ice creams. Leftovers harden beautifully in the fridge to a fudgy consistency and I eat it by the spoonful with a sprinkle of pink Himalayan salt. It rarely lasts more than a day...I just whip up another batch next time we eat ice cream.
The quality of cocoa used here makes a big difference. I’ve been completely converted to Canadian cocoa (the no-name brand in the big yellow canister). It’s much darker and richer than Hershey’s or other inexpensive American brands and it’s super affordable. If you’re traveling to Canada, have friends traveling to Canada, or have Canadian family who don’t mind running international errands for you (thanks, family!), pick some up and give it a try. With this recipe, I’m plowing through the cocoa. Good thing Joe’s family travels hither and yon on a regular basis. :)
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Super-Dark Chocolate Sauce
(adapted from the chocolate syrup portion of Jeni’s dark chocolate ice cream recipe)
½ c. sugar
½ c. cocoa powder
½ c. coffee plus a little extra; I use decaf just in case.
1.5 oz dark chocolate--I usually use good quality chocolate chips or chunks of dark Belgian chocolate from Trader Joe’s.
½ t. Vanilla
Sprinkle of salt
Mix the sugar, cocoa, and coffee in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until you think it’s cooked enough--maybe a minute or two. Add some dark chocolate--I’m very approximate with amounts. Stir till it’s all melted in. Add the vanilla and salt. Thin with extra coffee if it’s too thick for your liking. Serve over ice cream. Store leftovers in the fridge. I’ve had success re-heating it on the stovetop. Or you can just serve glops of it chilled with your ice cream. Enjoy!
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