A Sunday Afternoon Treat

Apparently great bloggers think alike

because I just finished reading Rosie Hawthorne's post on making vanilla bean ice cream.

Of course,

the major difference is that she made a frozen custard

while I made vanilla bean ice cream.

Definition: a frozen custard is made with eggs in addition to cream and sugar and one claim says that this treat originated at Coney Island in 1919,*

while ice cream contains only dairy products, sweeteners and flavorings.

*Source, Wikipedia.

My mise en place for the vanilla bean ice cream is quite simple:

3 cups Half-and-Half

3/4 cup sugar

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped**

**Bonus: the empty vanilla bean was then placed in a container with some sugar.

This sealed container will allow the sugar to absorb the vanilla flavor.

Following the manufacturer's instructions, the ice cream was made within 30 minutes.

I then transferred the ice cream to a container and put it in the freezer to set up.

Now, after having made this wonderful ice cream,

why would anyone want to ruin it by putting a chemical-laden,

artificial-flavored, chocolate-like syrup on top?

I don't, that's for sure.

And a chocolate sauce is so easy to make you will wonder why you haven't been making your own all these years.

Start with 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips;

add 1 tablespoon unsalted butter.

Melt in the microwave for 30 to 50 seconds.

My microwave has a "melt chocolate" button, so I just hit that.

The chocolate chips will not be completely melted.

That is all right.

Stir and they will melt.

Then add in enough Half-and-Half to make the ganache the consistency that you desire.

I added about 3 tablespoons this time.

Stir, stir, stir.

Silky goodness.

And this only took a minute or so to make.

Store, covered, in the refrigerator.

Just reheat in the microwave when you wish to use it again.

I think I need a taste test, don't you?

Divine.