This is the most versatile and delicious chocolate sauce I've found. I first learned about it from James Peterson. It's infinitely variable. Compared with ganache based sauces, you have more control over flavor and consistency, less milk flavor diluting the chocolate, and more sheen. Most hot fudge sauces taste like Hershey's Syrup in comparison.

The drawback is that it's a more fragile emulsion than ganache, so it's best used fresh. It can be refrigerated and reheated, but you have to do it with care.

4 oz Bittersweet Chocolate*, at room temperature, chopped into small chunks 336g
3 fl oz Liquid** (approx) (84g)
1-1/2 oz Butter, cool, in small pieces (42g)

*I like a dark, complex, strongly flavored chocolate, like Valrhona Guanaja.

If I'm not adding any additional flavoring, I'll brighten up the taste of the chocolate by blending 2-1/2 ounces Guanaja with 1-1/2 ounces Manjari (a brighter, more aromatic Valrhona chocolate).

If I'm adding a sweet flavoring (liqueur, etc.) I'll blend 3-1/2 ounces Guanaja with 1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate.

**Liquid can be water, strong coffee, liqueur, fruit brandy, fortified wine, whisky, etc.. You can adjust the amount to control consistency (add more if the sauce will be used on ice cream, for example)

1. melt chocolate in the liquid over medium-low heat in a heavy saucepan. keep liquid well below a simmer.

2. lower heat or remove from heat, and swirl in the butter. if you do it all right and keep the temperature moderate, the butter and chocolate will stay emulsified, and you will have a glassy-smooth texture, like ganache but with a greater sheen.

3. If you refrigerate leftovers and need to reheat it, let it come to room temperature slowly, without disturbing it. then heat in a water bath over water that's below a simmer. Stir very gently.

Date User Comment

Tue 07/03/07 12:08:03 paulraphael Initial entry of recipe.