Em's Mom's Hot Fudge Sauce

Fresh Strawberries and Em's Mom's Hot Fudge Sauce

Okay, so I'm sure you're wondering, Who is Em? And more to the point, who is Em's Mom?

Em is Emilie, one of my oldest childhood friends. I met Emilie when we were both wee lassies going to an all girl's Catholic school in Coconut Grove, Florida. Em's Mom was one of the coolest moms I ever met growing up. She was a thin, petite woman with a pageboy haircut who wore jeans, in the days when moms never wore jeans. She was a news junkie and every time I saw her, she was in her kitchen, if not cooking, then holding a cigarette and reading the paper or watching the news on television. To me, she was bigger than life.

Em and Em's Mom

I had some great conversations with Em's Mom and we laughed a lot over the years while Emilie and I grew up. I even spent a summer  with the family in England where they had leased a country home. One afternoon, Em's Mom invited me to take a ride with her into town. We raced for two miles down the twisting and hilly Surrey rural lanes before either of us realized we were on the wrong side of the road! Then, we laughed about it the rest of the way into Farnham, the village near the house. She was fun!

Em's Mom in Her Kitchen

In the seventies, Em's Mom wrote a cookbook. The idea of writing a cookbook really fascinated me. Out of her collection of recipes came the one included here for hot fudge sauce. And I think this is one of the best recipes for hot fudge sauce I have ever tasted.

The use of sherry in this recipe gives the chocolate sauce a more complex and sophisticated flavor... Em's Mom's hand at work. I am providing the recipe as it was given to me by Emile, with a few editorial comments from Winslow Dog.






Em's Mom's Hot Fudge Sauce

Two Ounces Chocolate

1 1/2 Tablespoons of Butter


2 Squares(2 Ounces) of Unsweetened Chocolate

3/4 C of Sugar

1/2 C of Light Cream

1 1/2 Tbs of Sherry

1/2 Tsp of Vanilla Extract

Little Butter to Grease the Pan

Butter the Bottom of the Sauce Pan

Butter the bottom half of sauce pan lightly to prevent sugaring of sauce.

Melting the Butter with the Chocolate

Put the butter in the sauce pan over very low heat and when melted a little, add chocolate.

Melted Butter and Chocolate

Leave until both the chocolate and the butter are melted, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to prevent burning.

After Adding the Light Cream and Sugar

Add the rest of the ingredients, except the Sherry and Vanilla; raise the heat to medium and stir until the sugar is dissolved, scraping down sides of pan.

Winslow Dog's Notes: When you add the light cream and the sugar, the chocolate and cream do not initially appear to mix well, but keep stirring. Patience pays off. They blend into a beautiful and delectable chocolate sauce.

Slow Boil

Then, without stirring (THIS IS IMPORTANT!): boil sauce slowly, uncovered for 7 minutes.

Winslow Dog's Notes: If you find it begins to boil too quickly, just lower the heat to low and it will continue to boil slowly.

Adding the Sherry

Remove from heat. Stir in Sherry and Vanilla Extract.

This is good over ice cream, pound or sponge cake, binger bread or vanilla  pudding.

Winslow Dog's Notes: This is good over everything!! I added it to fresh strawberries and it was to die for! Truthfully, I can eat it all by itself! Simply scrumptious!

Store in a covered jar in the refrigerator. Just heat it up when you get the  chocolate craving.

I will always remember Em's Mom when I make her hot fudge sauce, but I will remember her more for being a wonderful friend, a caring person, and always making me feel like one of the family. Thank you Emilie for sharing your mom's recipe! It is a truly special treat!