Ice Cream Sauces

Raspberry Sauce

This ruby-toned sauce is a natural for custards, panna cotta and rice puddings as well as ice cream.

Total Time: 15 minutes Makes: 5-6 cups

Ingredients

• Two 10-ounce bags frozen raspberries, thawed, or 2 pints (about 1½ pounds) fresh
• ½ cup sugar, plus more, to taste
• Pinch of salt, plus more, to taste
• Finely grated zest plus juice of 1 lemon

Directions

1. Put all ingredients in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring frequently, until raspberries have lost their shape completely, about 10 minutes.

2. Remove sauce from heat and add more sugar, salt and/or lemon juice, to taste.

Caramel Sauce

Replacing the water with cider gives this sauce a nice caramel-apple tang.

Total Time: 10 minutes Makes: 2 cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup water or apple cider
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons butter, optional
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer until sauce turns deep amber, about 10 minutes. Add cream in a slow stream. Sauce may bubble and seize up, but leave it on the heat and it will liquefy. Stir until smooth. For a richer sauce, stir in butter.

2. Remove sauce from heat. When slightly cooled, stir in vanilla and salt. Serve warm.

Lemon Curd

Thick, tangy and a spectacular shade of yellow, this pourable lemon curd offsets the sweetness of vanilla ice cream and makes a delicious filling for pies and layer cakes, too. If you don't have one, it's worth getting a Microplane zester (available atus.microplane.com), which makes light work of zesting the lemons.

Active Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 4½ hours (includes chilling 

Makes: 4 cups

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• Finely grated zest of 6 lemons, plus juice of 4 lemons
• 10 egg yolks plus 3 whole eggs
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, mix sugar with lemon zest. Add egg yolks and whole eggs to bowl and whisk until pale
yellow. Stir in lemon juice.

2. In a large saucepan, heat cream until it just begins to simmer. While whisking egg mixture, pour cream into bowl in a slow stream.

3. Pour mixture back into saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring continually with a wooden spoon, until very thick and darkened somewhat in color, about 5 minutes. Pour back into bowl and stir to cool, 2-3 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap so it touches surface of curd and chill until set, at least 4 hours.

Bitter Chocolate Sauce

Perfectly balanced and not overly sweet, this sophisticated take on a classic is also excellent drizzled on puddings, toasted poundcake or poached pears.

Total Time: 10 minutes Makes: 1 1/3 cups

Ingredients

• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, off heat, whisk together sugar, cocoa and water. Set pan over medium heat and bring mixture to a boil, whisking constantly. Continue to boil gently, whisking, 3 minutes. Add butter and boil gently, whisking, 3 minutes more.

2. Remove sauce from heat. Serve hot or cold.