Chocolate Caramel Sauce: A Piece of Cake #12.1

A little more sauce, please.

Last week, subscribers got a Ricotta Zeppole recipe that included this caramel sauce. And since I’ve been putting this sauce on everything lately, I figured everyone might enjoy this recipe, as a little extra.

It’s super simple, falling somewhere between a caramel and a ganache. You probably have everything you need to make this in your pantry & fridge. Or am I the only one that keeps an extensive selection of chocolate and a quart of heavy cream on hand at all times?

The trick here, as with all caramel, is to take it further than you think when cooking the sugar. Use your nose, when it starts to smell burnt you’re there. And! Swirl, don’t stir.

Here’s a recap of some of my favorite recipes that went out to subscribers in the last little bit:

• The Pizza Babka, that so many folks have made!

• Pull-Apart Doughnuts might be my favorite sweet so far.

• It really makes me happy to see families making the Creamed Spinach Chicken.

• And make these Chili-Braised Spare Ribs, while it’s still braising season.

Chocolate Caramel Sauce

For the sauce

½ cup sugar 

3 ounces chocolate, I used a combo of milk and dark

¾ cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons room-temperature unsalted butter

Maldon salt to taste 

Make the sauce

1. Chop chocolate and place in a glass or stainless steel bowl. 

2. Combine sugar and 2 tablespoons of water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Over high heat, cook until the sugar has melted, swirling the pan, not stirring. Cook until the caramel begins to darken, swirling the pan occasionally. After about 10 minutes, you’ll start to smell burnt sugar—that means it’s ready—but go with your eyes and your nose versus the time. The further you take the sugar, the more flavor it will have.  

3. Remove from heat and whisk in the heavy cream. The mixture may seize, but that’s ok. Cook the caramel over medium heat until it comes together and is smooth and hot. 

4. Pour the caramel over the chopped chocolate and let rest for a few minutes. Whisk the sauce until smooth. Add the butter and whisk until incorporated. Add salt to taste. Serve warm.

   

   Some recent Quick Bites from subscribers-only emails:

   • I really loved “In Praise of Aunties: The Ultimate Home Cooks” on Food & Wine, and I really, really loved seeing Kia Damon writing and recipe-ing in there! Making that Seafood Mac and Cheese soon.

   • If you’re feeling down for any reason this week, please watch this video of an elderly fruit bat named Statler and his wonderful life. 

   • Another food find this week: Pork Panko. Brilliant, incredible, amazing, show-stopping, gluten-free. Yeah, it’s a gluten-free “bread crumb” made from pork rinds. Now it undeniably tastes like pork rinds, so keep that in mind. For me, that’s a selling point. As a friend of mine pointed out, it is just pork rinds ground up, so you could also take your favorite pork rind brand and buzz them in your food processor. But, I’m more than happy to support great innovation in pork products. Amazing on a caesar salad. Definitely trying it on Christian Reynoso’s bread crumb eggs from Food52.

     If you want the full archive of recipes, and to get every recipe going forward, smash that subscribe button!

     

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   A Piece of Cake is written by Bill Clark and edited by Andrew Spena. Photography by Hunter Abrams. Logo design by Brett LaBauve.