Bon Appetit Desserts (135 page)

An ice-cream dessert shared by two. No ice-cream maker required—this calls for purchased vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate ice creams. If you don’t have a banana split dish, use a shallow bowl or small platter instead.
2 servings

1 cup sliced hulled strawberries

2 teaspoons sugar

1 banana, peeled, halved lengthwise

1 large scoop vanilla ice cream

1 large scoop strawberry ice cream

1 large scoop chocolate or coffee ice cream

Sticky Fudge Sauce (see recipe)

Scotch Butterscotch Sauce (see recipe)

Whipped cream

Chopped nuts

Combine strawberries and sugar in small bowl; toss to coat. Place banana halves in banana split dish. Top banana halves with scoops of ice cream. Top vanilla ice cream with strawberries, strawberry ice cream with Sticky Fudge Sauce, and chocolate ice cream with Scotch Butterscotch Sauce. Top all with whipped cream and nuts. Serve with 2 spoons.

Sticky Fudge Sauce

A rich sauce that really clings to the ice cream. Any leftover sauce will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Makes about 1 cup

6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

⅓ cup sugar

¼ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup light corn syrup

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons (¼ stick) unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bring cream, sugar, cocoa, and corn syrup to simmer in heavy small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue simmering until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add chocolate and butter and stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Before serving, stir over low heat until sauce is just hot.

Scotch Butterscotch Sauce

A little bit of whisky jazzes up this sweet sauce.
Makes about 1 cup

1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

⅓ cup heavy whipping cream

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 tablespoons Scotch

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir sugar, cream, butter, and corn syrup in heavy large saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and simmer until sauce thickens enough to coat spoon, about 4 minutes. Cool slightly. Stir in Scotch and vanilla.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 4 days ahead. Cover and chill. Before serving, stir over low heat until sauce is just hot.

Mexican Hot Fudge Sundaes

Brew some coffee for after dinner, then use half a cup of it to make this quick and easy hot fudge sauce. With its hints of cinnamon and vanilla, the sauce has all the great flavor of Mexican chocolate.
Makes 8

¾ cup heavy whipping cream

½ cup freshly brewed coffee

16 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (2⅔ cups)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Vanilla ice cream

Pine nuts, toasted

Fresh mint leaves

Bring cream and coffee to simmer in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate chips and cinnamon. Whisk until chocolate is melted and sauce is smooth. Mix in vanilla. Scoop vanilla ice cream into bowls. Top with warm chocolate sauce, pine nuts, and mint.

Sour Cream-Brown Sugar Ice-Cream Sundaes with Peaches

The ice cream gets tangy flavor and rich texture from sour cream. Running short on time? Simply top the ice cream with slices of ripe, fresh peaches. For tips on peeling peaches, see page 35.
Makes 6

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 cups sour cream

6 large egg yolks

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar

¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 pounds peaches, peeled, sliced

6 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon finely crushed cardamom seeds

Whipped cream

Sliced almonds, toasted

ICE CREAM
: Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk sour cream, egg yolks, and sugar in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in hot cream. Return to same saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 3 minutes (do not boil). Strain custard into large bowl. Whisk 1 minute to cool. Stir in vanilla. Refrigerate custard until cold, at least 3 hours.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.

Process custard in ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to container; cover and freeze until firm.

DO AHEAD
:
Ice cream can be made 4 days ahead. Keep frozen.

PEACH TOPPING
: Combine peaches, sugar, and cardamom seeds in large bowl. Let stand until juices form, stirring occasionally, at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Scoop ice cream into sundae dishes. Spoon peaches and syrup over. Top with dollop of whipped cream. Sprinkle almonds over and serve immediately.

Black and Tan Sundaes

In this case, “black and tan” refers to chocolate sauce and caramel sauce (not the equally appealing Guinness and pale ale combination). These are simple sundaes—feel free to add sliced bananas, some crushed malted milk balls, or a cherry on top.
Makes 6

¾ cup chilled heavy whipping cream

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Chocolate Fudge Sauce (see recipe)

12 scoops vanilla ice cream

¾ cup Caramel Sauce (see recipe)

⅓ cup chopped toasted pecans

Whisk cream in large bowl until soft peaks form. Spoon 1 tablespoon warm Chocolate Fudge Sauce into each of 6 pilsner glasses. Place scoop of ice cream atop sauce in each glass. Spoon 2 tablespoons Caramel Sauce over ice cream in each glass. Top each with second scoop of ice cream, then 2 tablespoons Chocolate Fudge Sauce. Spoon whipped cream atop sundaes. Sprinkle with nuts and serve immediately.

Chocolate Fudge Sauce

The sauce would be excellent with almost any flavor of ice cream—and also makes a great gift presented in a mason jar.
Makes about 1⅓ cups

½ cup (packed) golden brown sugar

2 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup water

½ cup heavy whipping cream

4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

Whisk sugar and cocoa in heavy medium saucepan to blend. Gradually whisk in ¼ cup water, then cream. Bring mixture to boil over medium heat, whisking occasionally to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and add chocolate. Let stand 1 minute. Add vanilla and salt; whisk until chocolate is melted and sauce is smooth.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 week ahead. Cool, cover, and chill. Rewarm slightly before using.

Caramel Sauce