Recipe: Chocolate Peppermint Parfait Sundaes

Hostess extraordinaire Karla Waterman recommends this pretty and delicious holiday recipe, which starts with purchased ice cream so it's easy to make:

Serves 8

2 ounces good quality white chocolate (Lindt), coarsely chopped

1 ½ cups dark-chocolate ice-cream (Fran's), softened slightly

3 cups peppermint ice cream

½ cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

12 peppermint candy canes, crushed

Chocolate sauce, recipe follows

Chocolate sauce

¾ cup water

1 cup unsweetened cocoa, sifted

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

Pinch of salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

For the ice cream: In a large bowl, fold the white-chocolate chunks into the chocolate ice cream; cover and freeze until firm, about 4 hours.

To make the sauce:

In the top of a double boiler, whisk together the water and the cocoa; bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to low, add the butter and stir until mixture is smooth. Add the white and brown sugar, corn syrup and salt and stir about 5 minutes until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla.

To assemble:

1. Whip the cream, adding sugar and vanilla to taste, until peaks form; set aside.

2. Drizzle some warm chocolate sauce into the bottom of eight parfait or wine glasses. Place one chopped-up candy cane in each glass, then 1 scoop of peppermint ice cream; drizzle more chocolate sauce over the ice cream. Then spoon in some of the chocolate ice cream, followed by more peppermint ice cream, and top with more chocolate sauce.

3. Garnish with the whipped cream and the remaining chopped candy cane.