Sundae best: ice cream toppings from scratch

I was thinking about ice cream toppings this week after having a chance to see a few for sale in the local supermarket. Making up your own topping is fairly easy, though there still is effort involved, versus just opening up a container and glopping some on. While I won’t get into the debate about commercial ice cream and how much air is pumped into some brands, some toppings made at home would certainly hide a lower quality version. If you make your own ice cream, putting on a scratch-made topping will give you a flavor you won’t be able to find in the store.

I’ve not done a pie-like topping on ice cream until recently, and it really works well. You could even take a fruit pie, break it up, and use it as a topping. It’s actually pretty good.

CHOCOLATE SAUCE

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened dutched cocoa powder

1 1/4 cups whole milk

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pinch salt

In a bowl, place in sugar, flour, and cocoa powder into a bowl. Mix together well. In a saucepan, over medium heat, place together the milk, butter, and vanilla. Heat until the butter melts. Mix in the dry ingredients into the butter mixture a little at a time. Once the dry is all mixed in, increase heat to medium high and bring to a simmer. Allow to cook at a simmer for about 6 minutes. Stir in the salt. Adjust seasoning, if needed. Use right away as a hot sauce or allow to cool a bit before placing into a covered container in the refrigerator.

STRAWBERRY SAUCE

1 pint fresh strawberries, stemmed, and halved

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine strawberries, sugar, and vanilla. Stir frequently until the juices from the strawberries begin to release, then stir occasionally. Mash some of the strawberries once they become soft. Cook until sauce thickens, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit. Place about a third of the sauce into a blender and puree. Mix back into remaining sauce. Use right away as a hot sauce or allow to cool a bit before placing into a covered container in the refrigerator.

EASY CARAMEL SAUCE

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Hot water, for baking

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pour can of sweetened condensed milk into a small oven safe baking dish. Cover with lid or aluminum foil. Place into a larger baking dish and fill the larger dish to a depth of 3/4 of an inch of water. Place into oven and bake until milk has reached a golden brown color, 60 to 90 minutes. Add more water to larger dish as needed. Use right away as a hot sauce or allow to cool a bit before placing into a covered container in the refrigerator.

ADULT STRAWBERRY SAUCE

1 pint fresh strawberries, stemmed, and halved

4 tablespoons dark rum

3/4 cup honey

4 tablespoons lemon juice

Rind of 1 orange, cut in strips

Place strawberries in a large bowl. Sprinkle over with rum and then stir. Allow to sit for an hour. In a saucepan, place in honey, lemon juice and rind. Bring to a boil, then fish out the rind. Stir in strawberries and any liquids from the bowl. Heat until the strawberries become soft. Use right away as a hot sauce or allow to cool a bit before placing into a covered container in the refrigerator.

CHERRY BUCKLE

1/4 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

2 cups flour

2 teaspoon salt

2 cups frozen sweet cherries, pitted

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a large bowl, cream together 1/4 cup butter and 3/4 cup sugar. Beat in egg. Beat in milk. Combine 2 cups flour and salt and stir into butter mixture. Finally, fold in cherries and spread mixture into prepared baking dish. In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup sugar, cinnamon and 1/3 cup flour. Mix together until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, then sprinkle over blueberry mixture. Bake 45 to 50 minutes, until topping is golden. Use right away as a hot sauce or allow to cool a bit before placing into a covered container in the refrigerator.