Chocolate Caramel Sauce

        1 cup sugar
        1/4 cup water
        4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
        1/2 cup heavy cream
        2 teaspoons vanilla
        Pinch of salt
        3 ounces finely chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

        Place sugar in small, heavy saucepan and pour water evenly over top. Set pan over medium-high heat and swirl gently by the handle until sugar is dissolved and syrup is clear. Avoid letting syrup boil until sugar is completely dissolved.

        Increase heat to high, cover saucepan tightly and boil syrup for 2 minutes. Uncover pan and continue to boil until syrup begins to darken around edges. Gently swirl pan until syrup turns deep amber and begins to smoke.

        Remove pan from heat and add butter. Gently beat until butter is incorporated and stir in cream. If sauce becomes lumpy, set pan over low heat and stir until smooth. Turn off heat and add vanilla, salt and chocolate. Stir until chocolate melts.

        Serve sauce warm or at room temperature. Sauce can be refrigerated for up to one month. Reheat in the top of a double-boiler. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Hot Blueberry Sauce

        1 pint fresh blueberries or 12 ounces frozen
        1 cup sugar
        3 tablespoons lemon juice
        1 tablespoon water
        1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
        1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional)

        Cook blueberries, sugar and lemon juice over medium-high heat, stirring, until berries soften and release their juice.

        In small bowl, stir water with cornstarch to make smooth paste. Briskly stir cornstarch mixture into berries and cook until thickened, about 1 minute. If using sauce with warm or room-temperature food, stir in butter. Serve at once, or let cool then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat over low.

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