Chocolate and butterscotch sauces

These sauces are wonderful on ice cream and are so simple. Never buy a squeeze bottle of Hersey's chocolate sauce again! You could do a rockin' banana split with these. Alternatively pour them on cake or brownies or just eat them w/ a spoon! The quality of the sauces depends on the quality of the ingredients.

For the chocolate, I tend to use Callebaut dark chocolate, good unsalted butter, and Tahitian vanilla extract. I like the chocolate sauce with coffee ice cream. Butterscotch is good on butter pecan. But nothing beats plain old vanilla. Get the Dreamery brand of vanilla if you can find it. It won the highest marks from a Cooks' Illustrated blind taste test.

Chocolate sauce:
4 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 T (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 c. sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 c. water
1t vanilla extract

1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan except vanilla. Cook, stirring, over low heat until melted.

2. Stir in vanilla. Serve immediately.

Butterscotch sauce:
3/4 c. heavy cream
6 T unsalted butter cut into pieces
3/4 c. brown sugar
pinch of salt

1. Combine cream and butter in a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the butter melts.

2. Stir in the sugar and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is think and shiny, 5 to 10 minutes. Taste it and add more sugar if needed. Serve immediately.