I came up with this ages ago, I think for Thanksgiving in 2007 or thereabouts. It’s been in the rotation since then, and I wanted to share it because it’s everything I look for in a holiday dessert: decadent and indulgent, sure, but also complex and sophisticated. And a little goes a long way, which makes it ideal for those of us who do not enjoy the gluttony that often burdens this time of year. Let the kids' table demolish all the mediocre, too-sweet pies that people bring over—this is for adult connoisseurs of real-deal dark chocolate. And you can’t get it anywhere else.

My original intent was to run the mixture through the ice cream machine, and that’s still an excellent idea. But this was so good, and rich, and perfect that it honestly didn’t need that extra step, and since it was chilly and dark outside the idea of a cool rather than cold dessert seemed pretty appealing. This melts on your tongue very differently from an ice cream, in a way that’s ideal for enjoying the nuances of great chocolate.

That means the key to this intensely decadent dessert is using awesome dark chocolate—a bar that you’d savor straight if given the chance. Don’t fuck around with cheap baking chocolate—use the good stuff. Ok, let’s get down to business.