Caramel With A Kick

Hopped up ice cream.  Oh yeah.  We celebrated Mother's Day with my family for brunch and Scott's mom for supper.  For supper we made a chicken on our rotisserie.  I seasoned it up and slid some lemon slices under the skin.  I didn't think it would do much, but it was worth a try.  Really good.  The lemon flavor really came through.  Each slice of chicken had a little bit of the lemon with the peel, cooked soft and it melted in your mouth.  Served with baby potatoes that I picked up at Trader Joes.  When I say baby, I mean more like preemie.  These potatoes were no bigger than a quarter in size.  I roasted and seasoned them with kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper, butter and fresh chives.  Made a nice garden salad with homemade dressing, made of sunflower oil, pear infused vinegar, fresh cracked pepper, fig preserves and whole grain mustard.  Really yummy.  I wanted to make a special dessert to go with this special meal, but I didn't want to spend the whole day in the kitchen.  After all, I am a mother too.  I decided to make a really special topping for really boring vanilla ice cream.  The kind of topping that makes you want to suck it up with a straw and forget the ice cream all together.  (I know it's crossed your mind too).  So there you have it.  Vanilla Ice Cream with Espresso-Caramel Sauce.  Take 1/2 cup water and add it to a saucepan.  Add 1 cup of sugar to the water and swirl.  Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute.  Increase the heat to high and cook covered until the mixture turns light brown, about 3-7 minutes.  Remove the lid and continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the mixture turns a dark amber color, about 2-4 minutes.  Immediately remove the pan from the heat and slowly and carefully stir in 3/4 cup heavy cream, it will bubble up.  Stir until the sauce is smooth.  Pour the caramel into a small, heatproof bowl and add 3 tablespoons espresso and 1 tablespoon Kahlua-the Kahlua is optional.  Drizzle over vanilla ice cream and you've got yourself a pretty great dessert.  I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.  This dessert screams, "THANKS MOM FOR ALL YOU DO".  Happy Mother's Day.