Although you would never know it to look at her, my mother was the Queen of Ice Cream.
Quite simply, she loved it and never turned down an opportunity to sit and savor it's cold, creamy sweetness. When it came to ice cream choices, my mother always declared that James McManus Ice Cream was really delicious, but Bailey's was by far her favorite.
When I was a kid, a trip to Bailey's Ice Cream Parlor was a special treat. Bailey's set the bar pretty high as far as ice cream was concerned. No matter what Bailey's we visited in the Boston area, there were always people sitting around at little metal tables and chairs, happily eating ice cream from silver pedestal dishes. I remember that the outside of the dishes glistened with icy condensation as the long handled silver spoons scraped every last drop. (Insert drooling here.)There was a long marble counter with high round stools and there was always a small water fountain with little white paper cups. Why was it that a cup of cold water tasted so good after a dish of Bailey's ice cream?
For those who chose to add hot fudge sauce to their ice cream selection, the iconic silver dishes were always placed on top of a white saucer to catch any blobs of hot fudge or butterscotch that may drip over the side. I can see it like it was yesterday. And if I concentrate hard enough............I can taste it too. Go on and try it.
You know you want to.
Bailey's Hot Fudge Sauce
1/2 cup butter
2 unsweetened chocolate squares
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
3/4 cup evaporated milk
Then, only thing left to do is take a quick look around to make sure no one is looking.....and..........