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whisking dark chocolate sauce in a pan with milk and cream and real chocolate (not powder)

Chocolate Sauce Recipe

Jill Colonna
Easy warm chocolate sauce made with milk, cream, real dark chocolate and a touch of vanilla. Best made with good, bittersweet dark chocolate ideally with 65%-70% cacao. Rather than a thick sauce, this is a classic, thinner sauce that's typical in France, that's easy to pour and accompanies classic French desserts like crêpes.
5 from 8 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Condiments
Cuisine French
Servings 6 people
Calories 171 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 100 ml (3½ floz/ ½ cup) whole milk
  • 100 ml (3½ floz/ ½ cup) whipping/heavy cream 30% fat (crème fleurette in France)
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla powder or extract
  • 100 g (3.5oz /½ cup) dark, bittersweet chocolate min. 65% cacao, broken into pieces
  • 1 tablespoon caster (superfine) sugar optional (to personal taste, depending on chocolate used)
  • pinch salt fleur de sel (Maldon or Celtic sea salt)

Instructions
 

  • Heat together the milk and cream in a saucepan over a medium heat with the vanilla until nearly boiling.
  • Turn off the heat, add the dark chocolate pieces and salt. Whisk until the chocolate sauce is smooth.
  • Although optional, depending on the chocolate used, taste test and add a little sugar if necessary. For an even better consistency, mix the sauce with a stick blender.

Notes

To serve: Serve warm, as the sauce thickens naturally as it cools. Pour over ice cream immediately before serving, or serve with profiteroles, French crêpes, chocolate crêpes and Poire Belle Hélène plus a delicious topping over chestnut ice cream.
Storage: Keep the cooled sauce covered in the fridge for up to a week, ideally in a sealed jar. The chilled sauce will thicken, so reheat gently until smooth and pourable; either for a few seconds in the microwave or by standing the jar in a pan of simmering water. If necessary, whisk in a teaspoon or two of warm milk. It also freezes well; defrost before reheating.

Nutrition

Calories: 171kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 2gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 13mgPotassium: 135mgFiber: 1gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 280IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 1mg
Keyword chocolate sauce recipe with chocolate, chocolate sauce recipe with mik, chocolate sauce with cream, dark chocolate sauce
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