An Outrageous Hot Fudge Sundae
“Claudia also decided that she must get accustomed to giving up things. Learning to do without hot fudge sundaes was good practice for her….Normally, Claudia’s hot fudge expenses were forty cents per week.”
E.L.Konigsburg, The Mixed-up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler
Until I read this delightful children’s book about two siblings (Claudia is 12) who run away to, of all places, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and become experts in the Italian Renaissance, I had never had a hot fudge sundae.
Now the Chief Taster is an addict, and I am also an enthusiastic fan. However, ours, which includes a good slug of rum, is a slightly different version. If you are catering for children you can add a teaspoon of vanilla paste instead of the rum.
The appeal is the contrast of temperature – the rich, warm, chocolate fudge sauce trickling around the cold ice cream, melting it as it winds its way. Sprinkle over some crunchy, toasted, chopped hazelnuts, offering a texture contrast with the soft sauce and ice cream, if you can bear it!
Recipe for an outrageous hot fudge sundae
Serves 4-6
Ingredients for the hot fudge sauce
- 180 ml/¾ cup double cream
- 100g/½ cup light brown sugar
- 5 tbsps runny honey
- 3 tbsps good quality (Dutch) cocoa
- pinch of salt
- 30g/2 tbsps butter
- 200g/7 oz good quality plain (70%+) chocolate
- 1 tbsp rum; or 1 tsp vanilla paste
Other ingredients
- 240 ml/1 cup double cream
- ½ tsp vanilla paste
- 500ml/1 pint ice cream
- 6 tbsps toasted, chopped hazelnuts, or pecans (optional)
- raspberries, or other fresh red fruit for garnish
Method for making the hot fudge sauce
- Gently heat the cream, light brown sugar, honey, cocoa and salt together in a smallish saucepan. Continue to heat and whisk until the mixture thickens a little and the sugar has dissolved.
- Break the chocolate into squares, adding it slowly to the warming cream mixture as you do. Stir in the butter and rum (or vanilla paste).
- Continue heating gently until the chocolate has melted in.
- Serve warm, not hot.
- Method for assembling the sundae
- Whisk the cream, sugar, and vanilla paste until it just begins to softly hold its shape (you don’t want it stiff as a board!).
- Pour a little hot fudge sauce into the bottom of a glass. Add ice cream. Pour over more sauce. Cover with whipped cream. Then, a tad more sauce. Sprinkle over some nuts if you are using, and the odd raspberry.
Ta Da!
Music to cook to as you warm and assemble
Melina Mercouri sings Never On A Sunday
