Pastry Sauces (easy to do)

A sweet sauce may be an essential feature of a dessert or it can be an optional element that completely changes the image of a dish.

Butterscotch Sauce
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
2 tbsp corn syrup
1/3 cup heavy cream

Melt the butter, sugar, and syrup over low heat. Stir in the heavy cream and heat until boiling. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.



Chocolate Cream Sauce
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
9 oz. semisweet chocolate or high-quality white chocolate

Heat the cream in a small saucepan until hot, but not boiling. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, broken into squares. Stir until the chocolate has melted and combined with the the cream. Serve warm or cold.


Coffee Sauce
2 1/4 oz. roasted coffee beans
2 1/4 cups milk
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp sugar
1/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup white rum

Before making the sauce, heat the roasted coffee beans in the milk until just boiling, then set aside until completely cold. Blend a little milk with the cornstarch and sugar, then heat the remainder until very hot but not boiling. Strain the milk, discarding the coffee beans, and continue as above. A little rum or coffee liqueur may be added; soak the raisins in thw white rum rum for 30 minutes or longer and add to the sauce.



Brandy Butter
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup brandy

Cream the butter and the icing sugar together until pale and soft. Gradually beat in the brandy and the chill until firm.