MetaChat - Brainstorming a sundae.

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01 May 2008

Brainstorming a sundae. Help me think of ice cream fixin's. →[More:]

The set-up: almost every night, my mother has a dish of ice cream with some store-bought sauce on top. She's not crazy about the store-bought hot fudge and butterscotch, but wrily says "It's better than no sauce."

For one of her birthday presents, I'm planning to make a jar of homemade butterscotch sauce, a jar of hot fudge sauce, and a packet of brown-sugar tuiles.

What else should go with this? What do you always put on your sundae?

bonus: do you have a killer hot fudge sauce? Does it keep in the fridge? Are you willing to share the recipe?

post by: Elsa at: 14:53 | 36 comments

I think a sundae fails without nuts. The salt against the sweet really makes it for me. So I would include jars of chopped nuts.

I don't have a killer hot fudge sauce recipe (Mom just always made it up as she went along: whipping cream or heavy cream or light cream + corn syrup + a mix of baking chocolates of varying sweetness and a dash of vanilla, sometimes a pat of butter), but it keeps just fine in the fridge for a couple of weeks. It does get solid, unlike store-bought ones, but you just warm it in the microwave or a pan of boiling water. It's better that way, too.

posted by crush-onastick 01 May | 14:58

Cadbury's Flake.

posted by essexjan 01 May | 15:02

Okay, I'll be the weirdo.

Mini marshmallows
Cocoa puffs (or other sugary cereals)
Coconut shreds
Candied nuts
Dried Blueberries or Cranberries
Cinnamon
SPRINKLES
Marmalade

...are things I really like to top ice cream with.

posted by Ambrosia Voyeur 01 May | 15:02

Morello cherries (in light syrup) from Trader Joe's, with hot fudge and real (not aeresol!) whipped cream. Slivered almonds a bonus.

posted by scody 01 May | 15:06

Mini chocolate chips
Cherries!

Hmmm.... I'm actually now out of ideas. My favorite is always to heat up frozen berries in tequila or bourbon, pour that over vanilla ice cream (or, better, gelato), and grate some chocolate over the top. So maybe some kind of homemade berry/liquor sauce?

posted by occhiblu 01 May | 15:07

Alton Brown has a home-made chocolate syrup recipe that I have yet to try. Since there's really no fat in it at all, you should be able to refridgerate and re-heat all you want.

posted by muddgirl 01 May | 15:08

Wow, dried blueberries. I'll be trying that soon.

Those toppings don't sound at all wierdo to me, AV, but then I've recently caused my partner to gag and look away by learning that kettle corn (not caramel corn, not as sweet or as candied; just popcorn coated with salty-sweet, slightly oily crunch) is really really delicious on vanilla ice cream.

crush, your mom's improvised chocolate sauce sounds like what my intuition's been telling me, so I'll take a whack at it. Turning solid in the fridge is a good sign --- that's exactly what I'm looking for, a thick sauce she can microwave.

On preview: great Caesar's ghost, these are FANTASTIC ideas! Keep 'em coming!

posted by Elsa 01 May | 15:09

Seconding nuts, particularly old-fashioned walnuts in honey. A hipster version: pecans dusted with cumin, chili powder, and brown sugar (great on vanilla).

Seconding coconut.

Colored jimmies/sprinkles/shots/whatever you call 'em.

Homemade maraschino cherries! I think ikkyu2 has made them and I think he posted here about that, though I haven't got time to search.

A great retro sundae dish and long-handled spoon.

A great, really comfortable and useful well-designed ice cream scoop.

Jar of pineapple chunks (standard banana-boat ingredient).

posted by Miko 01 May | 15:10

My standard Sundae Bar recipe:

Pretzels
Malt powder
Hot fudge
Whipped cream
cherry on top

posted by jrossi4r 01 May | 15:12

If ikkyu's been making his own cherries, he hasn't been sharing them with me, and now I want some! :-)

The ones he's put in the (awesome) Manhattans he's made me have been these, which are really, really, really good -- not syrupy sweet, good texture, no preservatives. Yum!

posted by occhiblu 01 May | 15:17

better than berries in bourbon even: get some sweet muscat dessert wine - muscat with toasted slivered almonds or (even better) pecans with cling peaches (or peach chutney!) over French Vanilla ice cream is DA BOMB!

I'm normally a chocolate fiend but this trumps chocolate even.

posted by lonefrontranger 01 May | 15:18

Muddgirl, if you're curious: I've made AB's syrup. It's not what I want for an ice cream topping; too thin even when I reduced it, and not enough chocolatey oomph. But it works nicely for making mochas or chocolate milk! I keep a squeeze bottle in the fridge for making fancy drinks.

posted by Elsa 01 May | 15:20

(Oooh, that site I linked has a six-pack of pickled veggies. I don't recommend them for ice cream toppings, but I WANT SOME.)

posted by occhiblu 01 May | 15:22

occhiblu, I saw that, too, and it spurred a memory: she can't find mustard pickle at her store anymore, and if I can find a source, she'll be thrilled. So thanks for reminding me!

posted by Elsa 01 May | 15:25

Kahlua.

posted by mudpuppie 01 May | 15:26

elsa - I wonder if it would thicken up if I replaced the corn syrup with butter?

posted by muddgirl 01 May | 15:33

There was his amazing looking butterscotch recipe i found on tastespotting and can't find again. Over good vanilla with some toasted nuts. i think i might try and fake one.

posted by ethylene 01 May | 15:38

muddgirl -- well, the corn syrup is good to include because it prevents crystalization of the sugars. I tried that AB recipe with a little butter, a little cream, a little brandy, a little of everything I could think to thicken it and/or give it some depth. But it is what it is: a perfect mixing syrup. I suspect that a thick, fudgy sauce needs cream or butter or both and a base of baking chocolate, not just cocoa, like crush's mom's has.

Jan, I've often wondered what exactly Cadbury Flake was.... and after reading the wikipedia entry, I'm still not sure.

ethylene - was it this one?

posted by Elsa 01 May | 15:46

No, but it has a really gorgeous picture of a veil of amber sauce and toasted cashews.
It was brown sugar, white sugar, 1tsp brandy, vanilla, salt, butter-- that could be it. It was really simple but in definite steps.

i agree in the need of a long handled spoon. i just ate some with one. i prefer them.

posted by ethylene 01 May | 15:49

I'm a big fan of salty/sweet (chocolate fondue and pretzels? YES.) so I really like salted caramels in general and a salted caramel sauce like this one is definitely worth a try.

other than that, try adding cinnamon, cardamom, and a little chili to your chocolate sauce for some Mexican chocolate style action, or maybe strawberries with balsamic and black pepper over vanilla ice cream.

posted by heeeraldo 01 May | 15:53

Also, Flake is the one brit candy bar i like as they mostly seem to lack enough chocolate in them to be called chocolate. Flakes have a nice texture, it's like a thin sheet of chocolate crumpled up like tissue paper and hardened into sticks, so it's got a many thin layer thing going for it.

Balsamic and fruits would be nice but not as "grab a jar" easy. Peaches in sauce would be nice, and a salted caramel.
Apparently you can get a can of sweetened condensed milk and turn it into dulce de leche:
Heat the can in a pot of water until it is boiling, then let it stay on simmer for three hours. Then don't touch the damn thing for at least an hour (or it may explode). When it is cool enough, open the top and hot sauce will come billowing out.

posted by ethylene 01 May | 16:01

No, wait, let the thing boil for three hours? i think so. It was a danger recipe.

posted by ethylene 01 May | 16:02

When I grew up the McDonald's sundaes were fairly popular and I seem to always compare sundaes to those, the strawberry and caramel ones in particular. I suppose if I were to make one today, I would want one of those featured as the second ingredient.

posted by tcv 01 May | 16:09

Want to blow her mind? Put a double chocolate donut under the sundae.

posted by eamondaly 01 May | 16:13

Balsamic and fruits would be nice but not as "grab a jar" easy.

Yeah, that's a great point. I'm doing this as a gift basket, not a party dessert, so whatever it is, it has to keep. But all of these ideas have been helpful (and fun!), because they're sparking notions in my head. So far, I'm determined to make:
- chocolate sauce a la crush's mom
- Morello cherries in brandy sauce (or maybe kirsch)
- butterscotch sauce
- a jar of spicy glazed chopped nuts
- brown sugar tuiles
and probably a bunch of other things you all have suggested!

eth, this butterscotch sauce (which isn't quite as simple as the one you describe) is what first sparked this idea for me. The photo, ice cream under a glaze of sauce studded with cashews and almonds --- it just hypnotized me. MUST MAKE.

I've always wondered about the dangerous dulce de leche, but I'm afraid I would asplode myself.

I keep trying to leave this thread, but you all have made it irresistible.

posted by Elsa 01 May | 16:16

That's it, you found it! Thanks.
i think the dulce de leche is safe as long as you don't touch it until at least an hour or two after the boiling.
i don't have corn syrup so you try the butterscotch and i'll to the danger one.

posted by ethylene 01 May | 16:19

Oh, that wasn't the picture tastespotting used either.

posted by ethylene 01 May | 16:21

The March 2008 issue of Saveur featured a butterscotch recipe, so adaptations have been making the rounds the past few weeks. Maybe you saw one of the other variations?

posted by Elsa 01 May | 16:35

No, they just used a prettier link picture. That's the exact one i got the brandy for, but i never remember to buy corn syrup. i'm too busy generally avoiding it.

posted by ethylene 01 May | 16:53

Try wasabi.

posted by deadcowdan 01 May | 19:02

Friendly's Caramel Cone Sundae is awfully damn good.
"Caramel Cone Sundae You'll go nuts with your first taste of Nuts Over Caramel ice cream, sprinkled with crushed sugar cones and a good helping of hot fudge topping. Finished with whipped topping."

posted by plinth 01 May | 19:39

To me, a sundae is just chocolate syrup and vanilla ice cream, but it has to be sitting on top of a big chocolate chip cookie. So maybe some chocolate chip cookies?

posted by BoringPostcards 01 May | 20:20

salty pecans! (and chocolate. and caramel) TURTLE!

posted by Stewriffic 01 May | 21:18

I like the classic: vanilla ice cream, tons of hot fudge (the stuff from the store in the jar is fine with me*), whipped cream, nuts and a maraschino cherry on top.

BUT thanks to Ambrosia, I'm gonna try sprinkling cinnamon on top of my next bowl of vanilla ice cream. That sounds absolutely scrumptious.

*Seriously. I could eat it all by itself and be a happy girl.

posted by deborah 01 May | 21:49

I always thought dulce de leche required you to simmer the can for four+ hours and to make sure there was water to cover because it would explode if the pot ran dry.

posted by heeeraldo 02 May | 17:14

i'm tempted to go try it now for five hours. But then i'd have to eat it.

posted by ethylene 02 May | 17:32

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