Compartment 14B
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Ramping up for the hols. Plus... chocolate sauce recipe! Score! 2008-12-22 - 10:33 p.m. Tomorrow I will be whipping myself into a frenzy of last-minute preparation for the holidays so I figured I�d better post tonight. Presents bought? Check. Actually, it�s not that bad, it�s just that I feel like there�s only just this tiny part of this to do, and only a little bit of that, etc., etc. until I suspect that all these small last-minute chores are going to lead to full-blown panic by mid-Wednesday morning. AND, I mailed my sister her bus ticket last Tuesday and she STILL hasn�t gotten it and she�s supposed to be stepping onto said bus on Wednesday, i.e., the day after tomorrow. Gak! So the menu of which I spoke is, actually, a very easy one. I�m making a homemade potato-cheese soup to which I�m going to try adding some smoked cod if I can get it (the grocery store was almost out yesterday when it was still too early to buy it), and I�m also making the hot fudge sauce from scratch, but everything else is easy-peasy since it mostly consists of store-bought hot nibbles, and ice cream with the fudge sauce and cookies for dessert. The cookie dough will be made by myself and Grommet that morning, then we�ll pop them in the oven when people are here so that it smells good and we can leave some out for Santa that night. I�ve made a few batches of this chocolate sauce lately, and it�s been a huge hit. It�s sort of a combination of the Hot Fudge Sauce and the Chocolate Sauce recipes from a cookbook called Beat This by Ann Hodgman. I use a semi-sweet chocolate instead of bitter so I don�t add as much sugar, and I usually use Kahlua instead of dry sherry, though last time I hived off mini-amounts to experiment and enjoyed it equally well with peppermint extract, amaretto, and orange-flavoured sherry, though would go with something a bit more truly orange-y next time for a definitive chocolate-orange taste. Interested? Here it is. Consider it my present to you: 100 grams decent semi-sweet chocolate (or a little more is fine if you�ve got a 4 oz bar) Stir pretty much constantly throughout this entire process. Just pretend it's risotto. Yummy, silky, chocolate risotto. Yeah, that's it... Serve over ice cream. I also like this over a banana. Or straight from the spoon. Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays/Festive Solstice, etc. everyone!
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Presents wrapped? Mostly check.
Menu planned for relatives descending Christmas eve? Check.
Prep work executed for said menu? Again, mostly check.
House clean? Um, well, here�s where it starts to fall apart�
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup whipping cream
pinch salt
� cup Kahlua (also good: amaretto, sherry, peppermint extract (this one to taste, since it would be WAY too much to put � cup of peppermint extract), etc. Would probably be good with any liqueur that has a flavour you enjoy with chocolate, e.g. any nut-flavoured liqueur, cherry brandy, etc.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- On the very lowest heat setting, slowly melt the butter and chocolate.
- Add sugar, cream and salt. (Still stirring? Good.)
- Turn up heat slightly and bring to gentle boil, then reduce heat again to low.
- Stir for about 15 minutes while at low boil then turn off heat but don�t remove pan from stove.
- Stir in booze/flavour extract and vanilla.
- Let sit until it cools from hot to warm to allow alcohol to evaporate.
If there�s any left, store in a jar in the refrigerator.
I warn you, you may never be satisfied with store-bought chocolate sauce on your ice cream again.
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