Peaches and Cream Peaches and Cream

Sunday, Oct. 14, 2012

Creamy Caramel Sauce

I have never been a fan of caramel sauce.  I kind of thought I was weird.  Until one day I decided to make my own, and my opinion changed.  I can’t believe the difference from the store-bought ones!  I love the creamy smooth taste it has and subtle hint of vanilla.  I find caramel sauce perfect for a sweet craving-such as dipping fruit in it and smothering the top of ice cream.  The possibilities are endless!

Of course, that successful caramel sauce doesn’t come without many failures.  Mainly due to impatience…but I’ve learned from these mistakes, and found it also helps reading all the directions first.  I cannot stress this enough: ensure you have enough time to make this!  It does take a while, I would say about 40-60 minutes max.  And when it says don’t over stir-it’s true!  Stirring too soon or too often makes the sugar lump together and harder to melt.  Also, some of the caramel will likely seize (in my experience anyway) when the heavy cream is added so just be patient-it will take some time but it will melt!  Happy caramel-ing! J






















Creamy Caramel Sauce
Yield-approximately 1½ cups

INGREDIENTS
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS:
Spread the sugar evenly in a large saucepan and place over low-medium heat. Once the sugar begins to liquefy around the edges, use a heat resistant spatula to gently stir towards the centre. Continue to gently stir the sugar until all the sugar is melted, do not over stir.  Once the caramel becomes deep-amber in color, remove from heat.  Whisk in half the cream, stirring constantly. The mixture will bubble and steam and possibly seize (hardened). Continue to stir until combined, and then add the remaining cream. Whisk it salt and vanilla. If the sugar has hardened, place the saucepan on medium low heat and whisk until smooth.

Store the caramel sauce in the refrigerator. Re-warm in the microwave or saucepan over medium to low heat.
Source: Cook like a Champion, originally from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

1 comment:

  1. I need to give homemade caramel a try. It's something I've been nervous to attempt for some reason. But it looks oh-so-delicious! I love dipping apple in caramel sauce. Caramel apples are the best at this time of year! :)

    ReplyDelete

 

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