Bitter Whiskey Hot Fudge

Whiskey is delicious. Hot fudge is delicious. So why not put them together when given the opportunity, an opportunity like, say, the birthday of one of your best friends?

Sarah's birthday was last week. I'm all about handmade gifts, but May isn't the best time of year for knitting a pair of fingerless gloves. So I opted to make her a hot fudge sauce. I found a recipe suitable for refrigerator storage on The Wednesday Chef. The only change I made was to substitute Jack Daniels for the more refined brandy or cognac suggested in the recipe.

Nancy Silverton's Hot Fudge Sauce from The Wednesday Chef
Makes 2 cups

7 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tablespoon instant coffee granules
3 tablespoons Cognac or brandy

1. Melt chocolate pieces in large stainless steel mixing bowl (or top of double boiler) over saucepan of gently simmering water. Be sure water does not touch bottom of mixing bowl to prevent chocolate from burning. Turn off heat and keep warm over warm water until ready to use.

2. Bring sugar, corn syrup, water, cocoa powder and instant coffee to boil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly to dissolve cocoa powder and sugar and to prevent burning on bottom of pan.

3. Whisk in melted chocolate. Boil hot fudge for few minutes to reduce to consistency you desire. It should be quite viscous and surface should have glossy shine. Cool slightly and beat in Cognac or brandy.

The steps for sterilizing glass jars can be found here.

Sarah hosted a potluck on her porch in West Philly and good eats abounded. Everything was vegetarian and options included a Gorgonzola and mushroom quiche, Mediterranean platter and garlic and herb cheese spread (all from Di Bruno Bros.); a salad of quinoa, sunchokes and strawberries; and even gelato from, my favorite, Capogiro.

We even stumbled upon one of the rogue miscapped bottles of Yards. That's a Washington Porter bottle cap on a bottle of Brawler.