MAKES 1 PINT
This is a thin bittersweet chocolate sauce that is a fine mate for several of our ice creams and the perfect partner to our Fresh Ginger Ice Cream. It is easy to make and will store indefinitely in the freezer.
Ideal serving consistency is warm, not hot. Different temperatures have their defenders, but you don’t want to melt the ice cream.
Extra-rich milk is just that. If unavailable in your market, simply use whole milk. The taste and consistency will be a bit lighter, but that’s fine.
Making ice cream at home is easy. There are several inexpensive devices on the market that make it cheap and fun.
Probably the simplest is a French machine called a Donvier that needs no ice or salt. You simply put the ice cream liquid in the bowl and stick it in your freezer. It’s a snap.
I’ve never lived in an apartment with a freezer bigger than a shoe box, and all my freezers together could not between them make an ice cube! So I use a kind of plug-in ice cream maker that requires salt and ice cubes (from the store). I stick it in the bathtub while it’s running (for sound-proofing and ease), which is a neat and amusing way to make dessert.
10 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into bits (2¼ cups)
1 cup extra-rich milk
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1. Place the chocolate bits in a heatproof bowl. Place a fine-mesh sieve alongside.
2. In a small heavy saucepan, bring the milk to a scalding near-simmer over moderate heat. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cocoa.
3. Immediately pour the milk mixture through the sieve into the bowl with the chocolate bits. If there are any cocoa lumps in the sieve, press them through with a spatula, dunking the sieve into the hot liquid to help them dissolve. Scrape the sieve clean, then whisk the milk mixture to melt the chocolate bits. You should have a smooth sauce that is the consistency of a light cream soup.
4. For best flavor and texture, leave the sauce uncovered for several hours at room temperature. It will thicken and the flavor will round a bit.
5. Let the sauce cool completely, then seal and refrigerate for several days or freeze indefinitely. (Even frozen, it remains soft enough to scoop.) To reheat for serving, melt over low heat in the top of a double boiler, stirring just until warmed through and fluid.