Watercolor painting by Carol Egbert

Often the choice is water, either still, fizzy or flavored, from a plastic bottle. Perhaps some of my non-alcoholic drink combinations will inspire you and at your next party you will ask your guests, “Red, white, spicy, fruity, sweet, minty, on the rocks or straight up?”

Label for your Ginger Syrup

Ginger ale made by the glass has a bright flavor and the ginger zing can be adjusted to suit the sipper. Not only do I use ginger syrup to make ginger ale, I also use it instead of sugar or honey to add zip to hot or iced tea. A pitcher of lime/ginger fizz along with the bottles of reds and whites makes every guest feel well taken care of. Ginger and clove syrups keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks. I have created labels for both that can be downloaded and printed by clicking here. I use the home brewers’ trick of using milk as the glue to stick the label to the bottle.Here’s how I make it:

Ginger Syrup

I combine half a cup, about six ounces, of finely diced of fresh ginger root, three cups of water and two cups of granulated sugar in a saucepan, bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer the mixture for about twenty minutes or until it has thickened slightly and the volume has reduced by half. I strain the syrup and store it in a bottle in the fridge.

Ginger Ale by the Glass

Add two tablespoons of ginger syrup to a tall glass of soda water, add ice and stir.

Download and print ginger syrup and ginger ale recipes with ingredients lists here.

Lime/Ginger Fizz

I make this festive drink in the crystal pitcher that my Nana used for iced tea. I combine one and a half cups of ginger syrup, three-quarters of a cup of freshly squeezed lime juice, one liter of seltzer or sparkling water, ice and one thinly sliced lime.

I tasted clove-flavored lemonade at the farmers’ market and loved it. The cloves imparted a flavor that made the lemonade even more refreshing on a muggy day. I am particularly fond of serving clove lemonade with a curry dinner.

Clove Lemonade

I simmer two cups of water, two cups of sugar and one teaspoon of whole cloves over medium low heat for five minutes. I add one and a half cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice to the cooled and strained syrup. I make clove lemonade, by the glass, by combining three tablespoons of syrup with eight ounces of cold water and a couple of ice cubes.

With berries and concentrated orange juice, lemonade or limeade in the freezer, I can make a citrus berry drink in less time than it takes Charles to find the cork screw and uncork the wine.

Berry Citrus Sparklers

I use a wooden spoon to combine a cup and a half of frozen blueberries with a twelve ounce can of frozen orange juice concentrate, thirty six ounces of soda water and a cup of crushed ice to make blueberry orange sparklers. For strawberry lemonade, I replace the blueberries with frozen strawberries, the orange juice with frozen lemonade and use ice water rather than soda water. Next time I make this drink, I’m planning on using blackberries and limeade and adding couple of tablespoons of ginger syrup.

The most stylish drinks at the moment are infused water drinks. Infused water has virtually no calories and takes only a minute to put together but is best if made at least two hours before being served. The ingredients vary but the procedure doesn’t. You put your choice of sliced fruit, cucumbers and herbs into a pitcher, fill the pitcher two thirds full with filtered or spring water, top it off with ice and wait at least two hours and serve on the rocks. Here are some combinations to get you started; the suggested quantities are for a three-quart pitcher:

Pineapple Mint

One quarter of a fresh pineapple, peeled and cut into triangles, and two sprigs of fresh mint leaves.

Raspberry Basil

Two thirds of a cup of chopped fresh or frozen raspberries and a dozen whole basil leaves.

Cucumber Lemon Rosemary

Twelve thin slices of cucumber, six thin slices of lemon, two three-inch sprigs of fresh rosemary that has been slightly crushed.

Citrus Cilantro

This sunny lemon lime orange drink reminds me of Mexico. I pour spring water over slices of one lemon, one lime and one orange and a quarter of a cup of cilantro leaves.

Large metal tea balls, nylon infusers or pitchers with infusion cores can be used to make infused water, but I like “lumps” in my water and just put everything into a pitcher,  a blue and white ceramic one for weekday drinks and Nana’s crystal one for parties. Cheers!

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Trillium and Bloodroot Kathy Fiske

Tea Art by Barbara Bartlett

Our group is Art Wise Women and you can see more by clicking on this link or by going to www.ArtWiseWomen.blogspot.com.

After we have caught up with tales of travel, news of children and grandchildren, wild animal sightings and gardens, we talk about new projects, successes and failures in our studios and upcoming shows;  we move on to more philosophical topics like ‘dealing with isolation as an artist’, ‘where to find inspiration’, ‘what does it mean to be an artist’.

At our last meeting, I realized that one of my favorite creative activities takes place in my kitchen rather than in my studio. Baking a cake for a dinner party is filled with artistic decisions: What will it look like? What will it taste like? How will I decorate it? The process ends with a plate, empty except for a few sweet crumbs and the anticipation of the next gathering when I will happily offer to bring dessert.

Recently, I wanted to make a cake that would welcome our friends who had returned to Vermont after spending five months in Australia. A hummingbird cake sounded just right. I assumed that since there were lots of hummingbirds in Australia that a hummingbird cake had to be Australian. My research quickly revealed three facts:

• There are no recorded sightings of hummingbirds in Australia;
• Hummingbird cakes are a specialty of the American south; and,
• It’s called a hummingbird cake because each bite makes one hum with delight.

Undaunted by these facts, I made my version of a Vermont hummingbird cake for the party. Here’s how I did it:

Hummingbird Cake

I preheated the oven to 350º, buttered two nine-inch round cake pans, lined the bottoms of the pans with waxed paper, buttered the paper and dusted the pans with flour. I tapped out the excess flour and set the pans aside.

I sifted together three cups of all-purpose flour, one teaspoon of baking soda, one teaspoon of ground cinnamon, one teaspoon of ground ginger and half a teaspoon of kosher salt into a medium bowl. I used a stand mixer to combine one cup of canola oil, two teaspoons of vanilla extract and two cups of sugar. After beating the oil/sugar mixture for two minutes, I added three eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition and then beat the mixture at medium speed until it was pale and fluffy. It took about three minutes.

I used a wooden spoon to combine three cups of mashed banana, an eight-ounce can of crushed pineapple, drained, one cup of chopped pecans and one cup of unsweetened, shredded coconut and then stirred the fruit/nut mixture it into the oil/sugar/egg mixture and then stirred in the flour/ spice mixture. I divided the cake batter between the two prepared pans and baked the cakes until they were golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake came out clean. It took about forty minutes in my oven. I cooled the cakes in the pans, on a rack for fifteen minutes and then used a knife to loosen the edges of the cakes them before I tipped them out onto racks to cool completely. While the cakes cooled, I made creamy, cream-cheese frosting.

Creamy Cream Cheese Frosting

I used an electric mixer to combine eight-ounces of room-temperature cream cheese, two tablespoons of light brown sugar and one teaspoon of vanilla extract. When the cream cheese mixture was fluffy, I added one pint of heavy cream and continued beating until the mixture formed stiff peaks.

I put one layer of the cake on my favorite party-cake platter and used a spatula to spread a quarter inch layer of frosting on to the cake. I topped the frosting with the second layer and frosted the sides and top of the cake with the remaining frosting. I used white woodruff blossoms and purple violas to decorate the frosted cake.

When I presented the cake to our friends as “Flowers in the Snow, Proof that Spring and Friends Do Return,” I didn’t share what I had learned about Australia and humming birds – but now they know. Since that party, I have found recipes for kangaroo cakes, opera house cakes and platypus cakes. I wonder if any of them will be as yummy as the hummingbird cake?

Download and print Hummingbird Cake recipe with an ingredients list here. 

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It was nearly fourteen years ago, just after we had moved from Washington DC, leaving behind townhouses, taxicabs, and sirens, to come to live in rural in Vermont with farmhouses, tractors, cows and of course pear trees.

For the most part, adjusting to the changes was easy. I loved seeing mist rising on the river, wildflowers at the roadside and blue skies with white fluffy clouds. I wasn’t so comfortable when a snake appeared when I was mowing the grass or when a troop of turkeys wandered by. Luckily, those creatures were as timid as I was. Cows were another matter. I liked seeing them in the pastures, I marveled at their beauty but I needed to have a fence between me and them – until the first time I saw Richard’s pear tree. As I drove along the road near his house, I had to stop for a herd of cows. The cows were not in the meadow, they were in the middle of the road, and in no time at all, I was in the middle of the cows.

What to do? I sat in my car, with the windows closed and, after a minute or two, all of the cows, except for one lovely Jersey, walked slowly up the road, away from me and toward the barn. The remaining cow turned, looked back at me, batted her glorious eyelashes and headed for the pear tree growing in the center of the garden in front of a large house. She downed at least a dozen pears and then her herding instinct overwhelmed her desire for pears and she hustled off. I followed the cows at a safe distance, until the wanderers reunited with the rest of the herd at the top of the road. When I was certain that the cows had no interest in me, I knocked on the front door of the house and told the woman who opened the door that her cows were on the loose. She shrugged her shoulders, and said, “They’re not my cows but they like to stop by. I’ll call the farmer.”

A couple of years later, that woman, Nancy, and her husband Richard became our friends. I shared my story about the cow and the pear tree at our first meeting. Nancy explained that even though the cows still stopped by I was welcome to share the bounty of the pear tree with them. Each August, as summer winds down, when Richard calls about the pears, I think about Nancy who died four years ago.

On Saturday we had a picnic with friends and other sculptors at the opening of Sculpturefest in Woodstock. Charles’ sculpture of a mosque made its Vermont debut and I wanted to mark the day with a celebratory cake. The pears from Richard’s tree and a chunk of bittersweet Callebaut chocolate from the Coop inspired me to make a chocolate studded, pear cake. Here’s how I did it:

Chocolate Studded Pear Cake

I cut two Bosc pears into small dice, chopped four and a half ounces of bittersweet Callebaut chocolate into small chunks, preheated the oven to 350º and buttered a nine-inch spring form pan and dusted it with flour.

I used a wire whisk to combine one cup of flour with one tablespoon of baking powder and a quarter of a teaspoon of kosher salt and set it aside.

To give the cake a rich, buttery flavor, I browned four ounces, one stick, of unsalted butter in a medium saucepan by cooking it over medium heat for about seven minutes. I stirred the butter occasionally and turned off the heat when the milk solids in the butter had become lightly browned and the butter had a nutty scent.

I used my stand mixer with the whisk beater to whip three eggs, at high speed. After about ten minutes, the eggs were pale yellow and very thick. I added three quarters of a cup of granulated sugar and continued beating for another minute. I used a spatula to quickly and gently fold in a third of the flour mixture, half of the browned butter, another third of the flour mixture, the rest of the butter and finally the remaining flour mixture.

I poured the batter into the buttered and floured pan and dotted it with the pear and chocolate pieces. After the cake had baked for fifty minutes, a toothpick poked into the center came out clean and the cake had begun to pull away from the side of the pan. I served it topped with heavy cream that I had whipped to soft peaks and transported to our picnic in a cooler.

The hand-cut shards of bittersweet Callebaut added a wonderful richness to this cake, but you can substitute three quarters of a cup of semi sweet chocolate chips if you like. Sculpturefest continues through foliage season and you are welcome to visit with or without a picnic. More information, including driving directions, is available on their web site www.sculpturefest.org.

Download and print cake recipe with an ingredients list here.

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The magic of science in the kitchen is why I like to bake. I have always been fascinated by chemical reactions–vinegar and baking soda volcanoes, milk curdled with lemon juice, sugar changed to an amber solid with enough heat. Cake recipes must be followed much more carefully than recipes for soups or salads because, when you bake a cake from scratch, you are a chemist in the kitchen. Substitutions are possible but they must be made with an understanding of the role each ingredient plays in the cake. Precise measurement and proportion are even more important to consider when baking cakes.

My kitchen is well equipped, I have a stand mixer, an oven with an accurate thermostat and timer, a dependable refrigerator, measuring cups and spoons, and, assorted pots and pans. Until last week, my kitchen was lacking a user-friendly kitchen scale. I found a measuring cup with a built-in scale at my favorite kitchen supply store and bought it. This was just the tool I needed to turn my American kitchen into an international one. Except in recipes written for the United States, measurements are given in weight rather than by volume. Not only is it a more precise way to measure, but with the right scale, it’s much easier. The scale I bought measures in ounces and grams as well as by volume. The Raspberry Buttermilk Coconut cake I made for Michael is the first recipe I have written using this scale. Here’s how I made it:

Raspberry Buttermilk Coconut Cake

I preheated the oven to 350°F/175°C, buttered two 9in/23cm round cake pans, lined the bottom of each pan with a circle of wax paper, buttered the wax paper and floured the inside of both pans and set them aside while I made the cake.

I put 2 cups/240g of flour, a pinch of salt, a teaspoon of baking powder and half a teaspoon of baking soda into a small bowl and stirred it with a wire whisk.

I used the stand mixer to combine 1/2 cup/225g unsalted butter with 1 1/2 cups/300 g sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla. When it was light and fluffy, I turned the mixer down to medium and slowly added 4 egg whites, one at a time, beating after each addition until it was completely incorporated. I measured 1 1/3 cups/360g of buttermilk into a small pitcher and added it, in three parts, alternately with the flour mixture, mixing well after each addition. For added flavor and texture, I folded 1/2 cup/70g sweetened, flaked coconut into the batter.

I divided the batter between the two prepared cake pans and after 25 minutes in a 350°F/175°C oven, the cake had pulled away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake came out dry. I cooled the cakes in the pans for ten minutes, before I tipped them out onto wire racks to cool completely.

I made a raspberry sauce to add to the cake layers before they were frosted. Here’s how I did it:

Raspberry Sauce

I heated 1/2 cup/75g raspberries in a small saucepan until the fruit separated from the seeds. I used a spoon to push the pulp through a sieve and added 2 ounces/50g creme de cassis, (black currant liqueur).

Rather than making frosting, I made a Creamy Cream to top the cake. It had no sugar and the combination of heavy cream, cream cheese and vanilla was just what this cake needed. Here’s how I did it:

Creamy Cream

I whipped 8 ounces/225g of room temperature cream cheese. When it was light and fluffy, I slowly added 3 cups/715g of heavy cream and one teaspoon of vanilla and continued beating until the mixture stood in stiff peaks.

To assemble the cake, I put one layer of the cake in the center of a cake platter and spooned half of the raspberry sauce onto it. I spread a half-inch layer of the Creamy Cream onto the cake, added a layer of raspberries and put the second layer of cake on top. I put the rest of the raspberry sauce onto the second layer and then used a pastry bag to pipe the Creamy Cream onto the top and sides of the cake.

To make the cake even more festive, I sprinkled a generous layer, of sweetened, flaked coconut on and added a border of raspberries. I chilled the cake for three hours before the party.

Transporting birthday cakes can be difficult. Charles drove slowly and we arrived at the party with the cake intact. His tiny stumble on the steps, with cake in hand, added to the drama of our arrival.

I use only one method of measurement, either weigh or volume, for all ingredients in a recipe when I’m baking. For small quantities of ingredients like salt, baking soda and vanilla I always use measuring spoons.

Download and print cake recipe with an ingredients list here.

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I would poach rhubarb in butter and sugar and then nestle it into meringue shell and top it with whipped cream to make a rhubarb pavlova. Here’s how I made it:

Butter Poached Rhubarb

I put a stick of unsalted butter in a large, non-stick skillet and sprinkled one cup of sugar over the butter. I cooked the mixture for about five minutes, over medium heat, until it began to caramelize and turned light brown. I added four cups of rhubarb, cut in two inch slices, and shook the pan vigorously to coat the rhubarb in the caramelized sugar. After five minutes, the rhubarb was tender and just starting to fall apart. I took the pan off the heat and stirred in two tablespoons of dark rum.  I transferred the rhubarb to a bowl and set the bowl in an ice bath to stop the cooking.

Assembling the pavlova was a breeze. I bought a large meringue at the bakery, split it in half, topped it with a generous spoonful of whipped cream, a generous spoonful of the rhubarb and rum sauce, added a bit more cream, and finished with the top half of the meringue.

Words fail me……………….

Rhubarb Pavlova List

• Rhubarb
• Unsalted Butter
• Sugar
• Dark Rum
• Meringue
• Heavy Cream

Andre and Charles had shared an office and architectural practice in Washington, DC, and Annie and I were pregnant at the same time. We talked late into the night about Annie’s current theatrical role, Andre’s newest project, Charles writing, my blog and shared the latest news about our children. Bleary eyed, we agreed to continue our conversation at breakfast.

We began with cups of tea and coffee and considered how we would spend the day. Breakfast was a cooperative affair – Annie set the table, Andre worked a Sudoku puzzle, Charles cleaned the strawberries and cooked the sausages, and I made the sweet Yorkshire pudding.

It was easier than making a traditional breakfast of eggs and bacon, pancakes, or omelets, and more festive than bagels and cream cheese. The batter, a combination of eggs, milk, and flour, is similar to a crepe batter and not temperamental. It will wait patiently until everyone is awake, showered, coffee’d and ready to eat, to be put into the oven to bake. Half an hour later – breakfast is served!

Here’s how I made it:

Sweet Yorkshire Pudding

8 ounces unsalted butter

6 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

I began by pre-heating the oven to 425 degrees. When the oven was up to temperature, I the  butter in a two-inch deep, nine-by-thirteen inch ceramic baking dish in the hot oven. Any pan will work for this pudding as long as it can hold five cups and is not more than three inches deep. A shallow pan allows the pudding to rise and be browned as it cooks.

While the butter melted and began to brown, I made the batter. I used a blender to whirl the eggs for one minute and then, with the motor running, I gradually added the  milk and  flour. I whirled it for thirty seconds more until the batter was smooth and free of lumps. I removed the baking dish from the oven and poured the batter into the melted butter. After baking for 25 minutes, the pudding was spectacular, puffy and well browned. I topped it with a generous sprinkle of confectioners’ sugar and a handful of blanched, sliced almonds.

With everyone at the table, I brought the golden pudding in and we watched it collapse like a soufflé. Cut into four generous servings and topped with strawberries and creamy yogurt, it was scrumptious.

It was the telephone call from our youngest son, soon followed by calls from the other children, that reminded us all that it was Mother’s Day. We had shared a commercial free, holiday brunch, our children were well, loved us and were in touch, it was a perfect Sunday with friends and a happy mothers’ and fathers’ day.

When I am more organized and perhaps not quite so forgetful I make the batter for the Yorkshire pudding the night before and keep it in the fridge until I am ready to bake it. When I was visiting my older son I made the batter with an electric mixer rather than a blender without difficulty.

Fresh peaches, blueberries, blackberries, stewed rhubarb or jam are delicious toppers; sauteed apples, pears or bananas make great toppings when berries aren’t in season; sour cream or flavored yogurt can be substituted for plain yogurt; warm or cold honey or maple syrup work instead of fruit: and adding bacon or ham will add a savory note. To adjust the number of servings, use a quarter of a cup of flour and milk for each egg.

Even though our sons are not near by, I’m sure this Sunday they, (and I), will remember that it’s Mothers’ Day.

Click here to download and print a recipe.  

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I haven’t figured out what to call it but it was delicious. Here’s how I did it:

Roasted Carrots (and Other Tasty Things) Spread

I cut eight carrots in half lengthwise, put the pieces into a shallow baking pan, poured on a couple tablespoons of olive oil and roasted them in a 350 degree oven until they were tender and had begun to caramelize, about 40 minutes.

I used a food processor to whiz the carrots to form a coarse puree and saved the puddle of golden, carotene rich, olive oil in the bottom of the roasting pan. I added salt and pepper to taste and spread the carrots in the bottom of a shallow bowl, added a layer of drained, fresh ricotta, a generous layer of shredded mint leaves, a handful of freshly toasted pine nuts, and then poured the reserved olive oil on top. A small knife made it easy to spread the carrot mixture onto pieces of toasted bread.

If you have a better idea for a name, please put it in a comment at the end of this post before May 1, 2010.  The foodie with the most creative name will win a carrot journal.

Roasted Carrot Appetizer List

• carrots
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• fresh ricotta
• shredded mint leaves
• toasted pine nuts
• toasted bread

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Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

I was ready for more than powering my green plastic boat across the sink with a chemical reaction of baking soda and vinegar. Curdling milk and making my sister cry by adding blue food coloring to her milk were child’s play.

I would become a baker/chemist. Kitchen experiments would be well received if the end results were sweet and tasty. After all, my sister always smiled when she saw a cake. My first cakes began as powder in red and white boxes from the grocery store. I measured water, broke eggs and mixed. Not much chemistry there. I moved onto the more complicated angel food cake mix and enjoyed transforming white powder into fluffy peaks using a primitive, hand operated, eggbeater. That was a bit more fun but I wanted to really make a cake, I wanted to “Start from Scratch!”

The first cake I made from scratch was a Chocolate Wacky Cake. I knew that this was the recipe for me when I read the part about creating a volcano with vinegar and baking soda to give the cake its ‘lift’. I had found a way to have both a chemical reaction and a sweet reward. I branched out and created brownies and pound cakes in my search for even more interesting recipes.

When I was nine, I saw a recipe for a walnut, chocolate chip, date cake in a small cookbook from the grocery store. I had only eaten dates at Christmas time and couldn’t imagine how the cake would taste, but with chocolate chips and walnuts, it sounded delicious and it was. I made it a couple of times before I lost the recipe and moved on to the challenge of perfecting tapioca.

Nearly ten years later, I saw a recipe for a chocolate, date cake in a newspaper column. With minor adjustments, this is the cake I have baked for many parties. I always use a Bundt pan and slather the cooled cake with unsweetened, heavy cream that has been beaten to stiff peaks. Last week, I topped the cream with sliced strawberries and promised our guests that I would share the recipe. Here’s how I did it:

Chocolate Chip Date Nut Cake

I began by preheating the oven to 350 F degrees. I used a pastry brush to carefully spread butter on all of the curves and bends of a Bundt pan before I dusted the pan with a tablespoon of cocoa powder.

I softened one cup of chopped dates in one and a quarter cups of boiling water and one teaspoon of baking soda. While the dates cooled, I used an electric mixer to cream three quarters of a cup of unsalted butter with three quarters of a cup of sugar and one teaspoon of vanilla. Then I added two eggs, beating well after each addition.

I used a fork to blend one and a half cups of flour, a large pinch of salt and three tablespoons of cocoa together on a piece of waxed paper.

I added the cooled date mixture to the creamed butter and sugar and then stirred in the dry ingredients. I poured two thirds of the batter into the prepared pan, topped it with a mixture of one cup of chocolate chips, half a cup of chopped walnuts and a quarter of a cup of sugar. I spooned the rest of the batter into the pan and used a small spatula to swirl the batter and chocolate chip/ nut mixture together. In forty minutes, the cake had pulled away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick came out dry when poked into the center of the cake.

Getting this cake out of the pan in one piece can be a challenging even when you use butter and cocoa and a non-stick pan. It helps if you cool the cake in the pan for ten minute before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. If, in spite of all these precautions, the cake still sticks to the pan, gather all the bits, reassemble the cake and use the whipped cream to disguise any visual imperfections of this otherwise perfect cake.  Your guest will never know!

Download and print cake recipe with an ingredients list here.

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Limoncello

I put the zest of eight lemons into a fifth of cheap  100 proof vodka. Her recipe specified ‘cheap’ vodka because it would have no flavor. I used a micro plane to grate the lemon zest and poured two tablespoon of the vodka down the drain so that there would be space for the zest in the bottle. The zest and vodka need to wait in the dark for at least two weeks before the mixture is strained and sweetened. I’ll post the second part of her  recipe when I have returned from Sicily where I will have done some Limoncello tasting.

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But since the Cottage Blanc, as we like to call it, is eight miles from the dining room table – a bit too far to travel when guests are ready for dessert, I have created a hot fudge sauce for adults only. It is made of just two ingredients and takes less than thirty seconds to make. If you want to see how I make it, you will have to read on.

Hot Fudge Sauce for Adults ONLY

Choose a microwave safe bowl that will hold about twice as much sauce as you want to make.  Fill the bowl half way, with the very best chocolate chips you can find.  Our local co-op has French Callibaut chocolate.   I buy tiny dark chocolate.  Here is the adult part – cover the chocolate chips with Myers Dark Rum.  Only the best will do.

Put the bowl into the microwave, zap it for twenty two seconds.  Don’t cover the bowl and stand on guard at the microwave so you can hit the cancel button if it begins to boil over the top of the bowl.  It is no fun to lick chocolate sauce out of a microwave.

Stir the hot rum/chocolate mixture until it is as smooth as you are patient.  Distribute this sauce as fairly as you can, in order to reduce the number of bowls and spoons to be washed, I recommend that you use the bowl that the sauce was made in for your ice cream and the spoon that stirred the sauce should absolutely be the spoon that you use to eat you dessert with.  You will have to decide whether or not to share this recipe or the chocolate sauce.

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Hot Fudge List

• chocolate chips
• Myers Dark Rum