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Fleur de Sel Caramels

Source of Recipe

From "Barefoot Contessa: How Easy is That?" by Ina Garten


Recipe Introduction

"Each time I tested this recipe, my friends ate all the caramels—no one even seemed to care that they weren't perfect. I serve them with coffee after dinner or pack them in glassine bags with ribbons for hostess gifts."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ Vegetable oil
â—¦ 1 ½ cups sugar
â—¦ ¼ cup light corn syrup
â—¦ 1 cup heavy cream
â—¦ 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
â—¦ 1 teaspoon fine fleur de sel, plus extra for sprinkling
â—¦ ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract


Recipe

Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing it to drape over 2 sides, then brush the paper lightly with oil.

In a deep saucepan (6 inches wide and 4 ½ inches deep), combine ¼ cup water, the sugar, and corn syrup and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until the mixture is a warm golden brown. Don't stir—just swirl the pan. Watch carefully, as it can burn quickly at the end!

In the meantime, in a small pot, bring the cream, butter, and 1 teaspoon of fleur de sel to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat and set aside.

When the sugar mixture is done, turn off the heat and slowly add the cream mixture to the sugar mixture. Be careful—it will bubble up violently. Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until the mixture reaches 248 degrees (firm ball) on a candy thermometer. Very carefully (it's hot!) pour the caramel into the prepared pan and refrigerate for a few hours, until firm.

When the caramels are cold, pry the sheet from the pan onto a cutting board. Cut the square in half. Starting with a long side, roll one piece of the caramel up tightly into an 8-inch-long log. Repeat with the second piece. Sprinkle both logs with fleur de sel, trim the ends, and cut each log in 8 pieces. Cut glassine or parchment paper into 4 x 5-inch pieces and wrap each caramel individually, twisting the ends. Store in the refrigerator and serve the caramels chilled.

Makes 16 caramels



• It's easier to cut the caramels if you brush the knife with flavorless oil like corn oil.