As it’s the weekend of the summer solstice, and as I’m doing nothing more ambitious than grilling burgers, I decided to play around with dark magic this weekend. Or, I found a recipe for homemade Magic Shell ice cream topping and thought it would be fun to try. The good folks at Serious Eats provided the following recipe:
8 oz. dark chocolate
1 cup coconut oil
6 tablespoons light corn syrup
(Of course all chocolate recipes call for 8 oz. or 12 oz., and chocolate chips come in 10 oz. bags only, requiring me to eat my way down to 8 oz.)
Simple, right? Well, they get picky – insisting on “good quality” chocolate, which Target does not sell, and you’re not supposed to use virgin coconut oil, but Trader Joe’s carries exactly one kind of coconut oil, and it has never known the gentle touch of a woman. So I’ll soldier on, as would a mighty Gryffindor – brave at heart – making cheese, improvising smokers, and eating Cheetos with abandon. (I imagine Hufflepuffs stick to cream-of-mushroom soup recipes, Sandra Lee, and pre-grated cheese. Ravenclaws would be snotty and superior about processed foods, chain restaurants, and farmer’s markets. Slytherins would fake gluten intolerance and demand dressing on the side.) Ahem. I am a nerd. I am also trying to shoehorn magic and wizardry into this post.
Quite simply, combine all ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl.
Coconut oil has upsetting, Crisco-like consistency.
Microwave is uncharacteristically clean today.
Then microwave in 15-second bursts, stirring in between each one until the chocolate melts. Serious Eats recommends three to four bursts, but I get up to eight before the lumps lessen enough to qualify as liquidy.
Sludge. Delicious sludge.
Then pour into containers and let cool. Do not immediately get excited at your sorcery power and drizzle it onto ice cream (like I did) because it is still almost boiling hot. Patience is the key. Let it cool.
Magic words: Expecto Chocolatum! (Nerd.)
Aaaand. It’s okay. It certainly hits the ice cream and hardens, but it’s lumpy and tastes decidedly of coconut. (This is what Serious Eats warned me would happen using virgin coconut oil.) But still – pretty cool eh? Magical?
illdothedisheslater 