Sweet Summer Drizzles

I've been experimenting with home made ice cream this summer. Delicious! However, since I've really only ventured into vanilla variations, its been a little...basic. So I went on the search for some easy topping recipes to compliment my creamy concoctions. Here are the three delightfully delicious drizzles I tried out that, surprisingly, remind me of the harbor!

These first two come from the super cute blog A Beautiful Mess. I originally Googled "Red Wine Chocolate Sauce" to see if I could put the remainders of a bottle of Westport Winery's Night Watch red wine to good use, and create a modern twist on the classic chocolate. I found this, and its a total winner! This recipe is so easy yet decadent:

Red Wine Chocolate Sauce w/ Night Watch Red Wine from Westport Winery

Ingredients:

1/2 cup red wine (any kind you like or have on hand is fine!), 

1 cup dark chocolate 

1/4 cup light corn syrup.

Simmer the wine over low/medium heat until it reduces some. Mine took 10 minutes or so, but I have a funky stove. Turn the heat down (important! Don't burn your chocolate after adding it!) and add in the chocolate and corn syrup. After melted, take off the heat and continue to stir until its a cream pot of goodness. It will thicken after it cools.

This second recipe takes my absolute favorite sweet & savory combo of sea salt and caramel and makes it a nice soft drizzle. It reminds me of all of our coastal towns (with the sea salt and all).

Sea Salt and Honey Caramel Sauce

Lick-the-spoon delicious!

Ingredients:

 1 cup sugar 

1 tablespoon honey 

2 tablespoons water 

6 tablespoons butter 

1/2 cup cream (whipping cream)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1/2 tablespoon coarse grain sea salt (I used Himalayan Pink Salt - YUM!)

Combine the sugar, honey and water and cook over medium heat. This will be thick - keep stirring it up until it becomes a liquid texture and continue stirring for about 5 minutes.Add the butter, cream and vanilla until melted and smooth. Let it come to a low boil, stir for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat and stir in the sea salt. I found that after mine cooled it was a little grainy (but still so yummy!!!), so I might have wanted to keep it on the stove a little longer in the beginning before adding the final ingredients.

The final ice cream drizzle could actually be a drizzle or a mix-in for your ice cream. I chose to mix it in like a ribbon, as the original David Lebovitz's recipe calls for in The Perfect Scoop but I think it would make a nice spoon-on topping too. I used frozen black berries from last season and it turned out excellent. Blackberries are almost in season so pick a few for this recipe!

Blackberry Swirl

1 1/2 Cups blackberries (I used the big Himalayan blackberries)

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (you can also use vodka or whipped cream vodka)

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Yum!

Smash all ingredients together until all are mixed in and the blackberries are muddled, at least. 

The original recipe calls for vodka, but I found this variation which substituted the BV instead. I'd be interested to hear how the vodka changes/enhances the flavor, if any of your try it!

So there you go! That's a few fun and easy ice cream enhancements that you can whip up at home.