I have to admit that this is my "Little Black Dress" that many women...and perhaps a few men (since I'm from San Francisco), consider their multi-purpose, never-fail-to-impress sexy black number hanging in their closet. I'm normally wary of recipes that call themselves "The Best" since often you make them, and they ain't all that.
But of all the chocolate sauce recipes I've tasted over the years, this is the absolute favorite in my repertoire. I came up with it years ago when I was compelled to create a chocolate sauce that was rich, thick, glossy, and not loaded with butter or cream—this sauce has neither!)
From golden profiteroles filled with vanilla ice cream, to a warm wedge of tender chocolate cake, I can't imagine any chocolate dessert that wouldn't be improved by being doused with a nice drizzle of this. I keep a container of chocolate sauce on hand, especially during the holidays, to dress up a simple dish of ice cream after an impromptu dinner or for a little treat in the afternoon when I crave something very chocolaty.
But often I just sneak a spoonful direct from the container.
The Best Chocolate Sauce
About 2 1/2 cups
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-processed)
2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the water, sugar, corn syrup, and cocoa powder.
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Once it's just begun to simmer and boil, remove from heat and stir in the chopped chocolate until melted.
Serving: You should let the Chocolate Sauce stand for a few hours before serving, which will give it time to thicken a bit.
Storage: Store the chocolate sauce in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. Rewarm before serving.
Related Recipes and Links:
Ingredients for American Baking in Paris
Chocolate-Almond Buttercrunch Toffee
Hi David,
Do you know where I could find those ingredients in Paris by chance?
Thanks. Marie
Or, you could just drizzle it over yourself for that little black dress effect!
O la la!
Perfect! I was just wondering where I'd find a chocolate sauce with no cream. Looks delicious. Thank you!
Marie:
In the words of Meg and Alisa...Monoprix!
You can get chocolate, cocoa powder and sugar there. Corn syrup can be bought at the Grand Epicerie or Thanksgiving, or you can use glucose, available inexpensively at G. Detou on the rue Tinquetonne.
you need a warning on your site for when there is chocolate displayed so seductively like this.
Could you use golden syrup instead of the corn syrup?
Sezz
Yum. I'm having a big celebratory party on Sunday, and I'm making some of this, certainly. Thanks, David.
How funny.. I promised my hubbie to make him profiteroles today.. perfect timimg!
I also love the light shiney sauces..
Go down to the beach and breathe in some sea air for me!
I will be there in March...
David,
Would it be possible to add a little esspresso powder to this to give it a bit of a mocha edge or do you think it would change the profile of the sauce too much?
Try adding a little coffee liqueur like Tia Maria or Kahlua instead of espresso powder for superb results.
I made this today. It is really wonderful, so thick and smooth with great deep chocolate flavor. I'll never buy ready made again.
I know you probably know this trick..but I'm always late to the party and just figured it out so I had to tell someone...like, You!. I hate to chop chocolate, I dread this step of the many recipes that require it, so...This time, I chilled my bittersweet for about 15 minutes, stuck it in a plastic baggie and whacked it good and hard several times with the butt of my chef's knife handle. It shattered it into the perfect size tiny shards that melted so easily. Heck..it took longer to unwrap the chocolate than to smash it to bits! I am so proud of myself for thinking of doing this! Damn I'm good! (I'm easily pleased and a shameless braggard, I know)
I just made this chocolate sauce. Mine separated. Perhaps I should not have had a few cocktails beforehand? Nice flavor, though I would probably not make again. I don't really understand why people leave comments on how fantastic a recipe is before they actually make it. It's food, not porn, it has to be delicious in real life, not just photographs..
Am not sure whey our sauce separated, but I've been making this sauce for twenty years and never had a problem, nor heard of one. Be sure you're not using unsweetened chocolate (use bittersweet or semisweet) which is too acid and could cause the problem. -david
hi David - I'll get around to making your sauce as-is someday, but I came up with a variation recently that used Irish Stout instead of water. I was quite pleased with the result: http://apricotcustard.typepad.com/apricot_custard/2009/03/cho.html
Sezz: Yes, you could use golden syrup, or another alternative liquid sweetener, in this recipe. If you follow the link in the ingredients list, there are some suggestions for others.