Again it was a beautiful day, in the 80’s just like summer (not the 120 degrees it is here in Las Vegas, but summer in a nice 80 degree climate) leading us directly to Hot Fudge Sundaes!  I usually make this around the holidays, but couldn’t resist the temptation to celebrate the great weather.     

Hot Fudge Sauce   

This is perfect for sundaes or banana splits or drizzled over pretty much any fruit or desert.  It is thick, smooth and creamy but gets just a little hard when it hits cold ice cream.  Not like the “shell” topping but just a bit chewy like caramel.   It can be served right away, kept in the refrigerator for 2 weeks or canned.  If not used right away, microwave until pourable, 15-30 seconds.  I usually make several really large batches for holiday gifts and now I start getting inquiries in the summer asking if I’m “doing it this year”.

Procedure   

1   Combine cream, butter and salt in microwave safe bowl with a spout and heat until butter melts (approx. 2 minutes)   

2   In large sauce pan over medium heat, cook the sugar, corn syrup and water stirring until the sugar dissolves.  Increase the heat and bring to a full rolling boil then cook until a dark amber color, 1-2 minutes.  Watch very carefully because the sugar can go from perfect to burnt in a few seconds.   

3   Take the pan off the heat and slowly, very, very slowly, add the warm cream into the sugar, stirring briskly.  As the cream starts to cool the sugar, you can begin to pour more quickly.  This really works best with two people, one to pour (barely a drizzle at first) and one to stir.  When the cream hits the hot caramelized sugar, it will bubble up and steam so watch your hands and if you don’t pour slowly and stir quickly, you’ll get lumps.  If you were making caramel, you would stop here!   

4   Place the chocolate in a large heat proof bowl, a metal mixing bowl works really well.  Pour the hot caramel mixture over the chocolate and mix until smooth.   

Servings: 16   

Yield: 2 cups