I figured that February with its famous (or infamous, depending on one’s current romantic situation) holiday, St. Valentine’s Day, would bestow upon me rare respite from writing about our current dire mass-produced, industrial, non-localized and very chemically enhanced food situation. No such luck. My sister handed me the current issue of Chocolatier and there, blazoned on page three in the Letter from the Editor, is a disturbing ploy urged along by the FDA (who else) encouraging the use of vegetable oils instead of luxe cocoa butter in chocolate production. Tish Boyle, Chocolatier Editor writes: “While the current FDA standards for anything labeled chocolate requires that a product contain both cocoa solids and cocoa fat (known as cocoa butter), the proposed change would legalize the use of a vegetable fat in place of cocoa butter. The new standard for chocolate will be at a new low. Right now the average chocolate bar is made up of 25% cocoa butter. Substituting hydrogenated oil for all or part of this amount will have a noticeable impact on the mouthfeel, flavor and nutritional value of a product, and none of it positive (except perhaps, for the producer’s profits.)”

Et tu, chocolate? Doth the consumer hath no refuge from the evils of hydrogenation? Ian LaMont, a young (he’s just slightly north of eighteen years old) fudge sauce maker from Delhi wisely avoids any of this ingrediential posturing by keeping his Fudge Sauce recipe very simple: fresh cream, sugar, butter, chocolate, vanilla and salt.

Slickepott Fudge Sauce
Slickepott pronounced: slick-uh-put is a Swedish term passed down to Ian by his Swedish grandmother. “Technically, it refers to our index finger or a rubber spatula. Affectionately, it refers to the act of licking every last drop of something delicious from the bowl, spoon or beater or ‘the one who licks the bowl’”. The recipe is nearly sixty years old, brought over from Sweden by Nana LaMont, Ian’s father’s mother and Ian changed not a lick. Ian went public with his sauce in Augus tof 2007 after speaking with business leaders in his community for unusual marketing ideas. Ian sources his milk from Byrne Dairy in Syracuse and is interested in sourcing the cream and butter even more locally. “Unusual chocolate treats intrigue me,” he says, and plans to explore new flavor combinations that have a slightly European quality such as a potential chocolate and honey sauce.

After just one slickepott, the fudge sauce, actually a ganache, a smooth, voluptuous sauce of chocolate and heavy cream, obliterates any memories or ingrained notions of the liquidy sauce that spurts from Hershey’s bottles or get pumped over soft serve ice cream. Slickepott fudge sauce can be eaten at room temperature (my preference since the sauce has just enough velvet suppleness to swirl languidly about the tongue) or chilled from the fridge, or carefully melted for fondue. Strawberries marry particularly well but so do chunked home made pound cake or sponge cake. The fudge sauce can be used to concoct sinful hot chocolate—simply add milk or cream and one to two tablespoons of the fudge sauce per cup—or to make chocolate pudding. Europeans, usually slightly more enlightened in things gourmand, have spread Nutella on their toast for years. Now, folks up in the Catskills have Slickepott Fudge Sauce to complement local baked breads (hint: buy a loaf of Bread Alone brioche and think bread pudding.) The thick texture of Slickepott also lends itself well as a filling for layer cakes, or even for Boston Cream Pies. If all else fails to tempt, there is always the reliable stalwart: ice cream. A good quality vanilla begs for a drizzle of Slickepott Fudge Sauce.

For Valentine’s Day, Slickepott Fudge Sauce will be featured as part of the favor bags at the Valentine’s Dinner Dance at the Foothills Performing Arts Center in Oneonta on February 16. Ian will also be at the Cooperstown Winter Carnival Chocolate Lover’s Festival on February 9. This summer, Ian will have a booth at the Pakatakan Farmers Market outside Margaretville. Burn Ayr Farm, located three miles outside of Delhi on Route 28, will feature Slickepott Fudge Sauce at their farm market that opens in May. For more information, visit www.burnayrfarm.com

Slickepott is available in two sizes: a 14-ounce jar for $12.95 and a 10-ounce jar for $8.95. Ian does ship (and has received orders from North Carolina and Texas). For more information or to place an order, please e-mail Ian LaMont at ian@slickepott.com or call 607 746 7261. Slickepott Fudge Sauce is shelf stable until opened and then must be refrigerated. Good Cheap Food in Delhi (607 746 6562) proudly carries Slickepott Fudge Sauce.