Non-Dairy Chocolate Sauce to Die For

Last night, we had a great dinner with friends. And I got to bring dessert--which paled compared to the meal, but every once in a while, I let myself get spoiled. Seriously, isn't it the most wonderful thing in the world when someone feeds you a home-cooked meal?! It was my first time making a chocolate sauce to go with an amaretto cheesecake. And we really liked this chocolate sauce. Of course, it comes from famed pastry chef, David Lebovitz. Apparently, he's been making it for 20 years. Yeah, it's pretty darn good!

Since Valentine's Day is coming up, I figured maybe some of you might be looking for a fast and easy chocolate sauce to drizzle over your desserts. You might have to resist eating it out of a jar. Keep it in the fridge and warm it up before serving. I made some small changes in parentheses. I used agave nectar instead of corn syrup--I have a feeling that corn syrup would give you a bit thicker and shinier texture. 

• One thing I did do that did end up tasting pretty delicious, was do 1/2 cup coffee (strong, unsweetened) + 1/2 cup water. However, keep in mind that coffee is acidic--and that helped me understand why my sauce did end up crystallizing a tiny bit--the acid affected the integrity of the sauce--not enough to bother us, but enough to notice it visually. I think it would be better to add a tablespoon or two of coffee liqueur instead if you want a little mocha flavor.

By the way, we weren't the only ones having fun--check out our children having their first date--this cracks me up as they were even provided 'candlelight'...the only thing missing is a shared pasta noodle between those busy mouths. 

Love may be in the air.....I think it would be great to add a little peppermint extract to this chocolate sauce and serve it over ice-cream at Christmas...or Valentine's Day. Which we are DEFINITELY preparing for at this house. All I hear about is hearts...heart songs, prayers, books, crafts,

..we even watched a little open heart surgery on youtube ('that was cool, mom!'). Hope everyone can use a little chocolate in preparation :)

THE BEST CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Adapted from www.davidlebovitz.com

About 2 1/2 cups

• 1 cup (250 ml) water
• 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
• 1/2 cup (160 g) light corn syrup, agave nectar, or glucose (I used agave nectar)
• 3/4 cup (75 g) unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-processed)
• 2 ounces (55 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped--(I used 3 ounces of good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips)
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt (my addition)

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the water, sugar, corn syrup (or agave or glucose), and cocoa powder.

Bring to a boil over medium heat. Once the mixture has just begun to simmer and boil, remove from heat and stir in the chopped chocolate until melted.

Serving: You should let the Chocolate Sauce stand for a few hours before serving, which will give it time to thicken a bit.

Storage: Store the chocolate sauce in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. Rewarm before serving.

ENJOY! This sauce is delicious over cheesecake and when added to hot milk to make hot chocolate. Serve it over strawberries and ice-cream or dip bananas in it for a delicious treat.