Heavenly Topping

Four ingredients, a double boiler, and about 20 minutes is all it takes to make a chocolate sauce that puts the store-bought stuff to shame. Unsweetened chocolate and butter melt together, then sugar goes in gradually, followed by evaporated milk to bring it all into a smooth, glossy pour.

The double boiler matters here. Direct heat would scorch the chocolate before the sugar dissolves, and you’d end up with a grainy, bitter mess. The gentle, indirect heat lets you stir everything together slowly until the sauce turns satiny.

This is the kind of all-purpose topping you want in your fridge at all times. Pour it warm over ice cream, drizzle it on pound cake, or spoon it over brownies. It firms up when cold but loosens right back up with a quick reheat.

Kitchen Tips

• Add the sugar about four tablespoons at a time and stir well between additions. Dumping it all in at once creates lumps that are hard to dissolve.
• Add the milk slowly and keep stirring. If you pour it in too fast, the chocolate can seize and turn grainy.
• Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator. It keeps for weeks and reheats in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each.
• If the sauce gets too thick after refrigerating, stir in a splash of milk while reheating to thin it out.