Hot Fudge Sundaes

Ingredients

• 2 pints Vanilla-Bean Ice Cream, recipe follows, (or store-bought super-premium vanilla ice cream)
• 1 cup Dark Hot Fudge Sauce, recipe follows
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 8 maraschino cherries, for garnish

Directions

Scoop ice cream into 8 sundae dishes and spoon heated hot fudge sauce over it. Spoon heated butterscotch sauce over each portion and top with chopped walnuts. Garnish each sundae with a maraschino cherries.

Vanilla-Bean Ice Cream:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
• 2 large eggs

Combine cream, milk, sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a heavy saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla beans with tip of a knife into cream mixture, then drop in pods. Heat mixture just to a boil.

Whisk eggs in a large bowl, then add hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking. Pour mixture into saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened and an instant-read thermometer registers 170 degrees F (do not let boil).

Pour custard through a fine sieve into a clean metal bowl, then cool, stirring occasionally. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 3 hours.

Freeze custard in an ice-cream maker. Transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.

Yield: 1 1/2 quarts

Dark Hot Fudge Sauce:

• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

In a small heavy saucepan heat heavy cream and sugar over moderate heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Add chocolate, butter, and corn syrup and continue to cook, stirring, just until smooth. Bring mixture to a boil over moderate heat and boil 8 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla and salt. Sauce will keep, covered and chilled, for 3 weeks. Let the sauce cool completely before covering (any condensation will make it grainy). Reheat sauce, uncovered, over simmering water in a double boiler. Serve sauce hot over ice cream.

Yield: 1 cup