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Ice Cream Sundae

Source of Recipe

From "To the Last Bite" by Alexis Deboschnek


Recipe Introduction

"I'll take an ice cream sundae over almost any dessert. Here I've traded in maraschinos for cherries spiced with anise and bay leaves and cooked until jammy, chopped peanuts for toasted slivered almonds, and homemade hot fudge sauce. I think this trio works particularly well together, but you could get creative with other toppings like roasted strawberries or caramel sauce. That's the joy of an ice cream sundae: you can really make it your own."

List of Ingredients

Hot Fudge Sauce:
â—¦ ¾ cup granulated sugar
â—¦ 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
â—¦ 2 tablespoons water
â—¦ ½ cup heavy cream
â—¦ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
â—¦ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Spiced Poached Cherries:
â—¦ 1 cup granulated sugar
â—¦ 2 cups water
â—¦ 1 cinnamon stick
â—¦ 1 star anise
â—¦ 1 bay leaf
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
â—¦ ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
â—¦ 3 orange peels
â—¦ 1 pound (about 3 cups) cherries, pitted, fresh, or frozen and thawed

Toasted Almonds:
â—¦ ½ cup sliced almonds

â—¦ Ice cream of choice, for serving


Recipe

Make the hot fudge sauce:
Add the sugar, cocoa, and salt to a medium saucepan over medium heat and stir to combine. Add the water and stir until the cocoa dissolves, about 30 seconds. Add the cream, whisking often, until the mixture begins to boil. Continue stirring until the sauce begins to just thicken, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter and vanilla and stir to combine. The fudge sauce can be eaten right away, or cooled to room temperature, transferred to a sealed container, and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Make the poached cherries:
Add the sugar, water, cinnamon stick, star anise, bay leaf, salt, peppercorns, and orange peels to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, and stir to combine. Continue to whisk until the sugar dissolves. Add the cherries and simmer over medium-high heat until softened, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool to room temperature. The cherries can be served immediately or transferred to a sealed container and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Make the toasted almonds:
Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan feels warm, add the almonds and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. The almonds can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Serve ice cream of choice topped with the fudge sauce, spiced cherries, and toasted almonds.