Chef Didi Davis: My Father's Chocolate Sauce

Just in time for Father's Day, Chef Didi Davis joins us on the Salty Dog Blog writing about her father's recipe for chewy, gooey and utterly wonderful chocolate sauce. Yum!

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It’s been raining here for two months.  Well, not really, but today has been frustratingly cool and annoyingly sun-free.  Blanket weather.  My dogs timidly step out, and forego sniff time.  That isn’t normal.  Maybe it is because they are getting older, but still….

I’m feeling the need for ice cream.  Yes, that’s the remedy.  I’ll make chocolate sauce; my father’s rich and chewy, sticky, gooey style. It’s a good day to be indoors.

My father threw all the ingredients into a pot.  It took him 30 seconds.  No “make a paste with cocoa and cold milk and gradually whisk in the remaining milk” for him.  It all came together and it was always sublime.  He had a key secret ingredient that he must have seen his mother sneak in at some point.  (Not that she was a great cook, but she knew her sweets as she was a product of the Fanny Farmer era, which remarkably lasted well into the sixties.)  Or perhaps it was an upcountry thing.  I’m not sure, but make sure you have molasses in the cupboard.  Yes, he added it in the final moments with vanilla.  Use brown sugar if you like, or use his trick.  He always plopped in a sizeable chunk of butter, too.  Just to round out the edges.

So, here’s the recipe. Grab a pot and throw in:

1 cup sugar

½ cup cocoa

½ cup milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

A pinch of sea salt (a fine grain everyday type such as Sel Gris, Himalayan)

Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking.  Once boiling, lower the heat and boil gently for 5 or 6 minutes.  If you want it thicker and stickier, cook a bit longer.  Remove from the heat and add:

1 teaspoon molasses

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Now, if you want to get fancy, you can substitute a sugar blend for the sugar.  We have six flavors to choose from.

To serve, simply drizzle on some sauce atop vanilla ice cream. For a great twist, sprinkle just a few granules of Danish Viking Smoked Salt for a sweet, salty, smoky treat!

If you have any questions or need a tiny bit more guidance on the recipe, send a comment.