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Salty Dark Caramel Sauce

Source of Recipe

From "Food Gift Love" by Maggie Battista


Recipe Introduction

"I had many food revelations during my travels to Paris. Besides the chocolate and the red wine and the baguettes and the rotisserie chicken, the caramel totally changed my life. Famously made in the Bretagne region of France, good French caramel sauce is very dark, almost burnt in flavor. I don't know how or when American-style caramel sauces, light in color and overly sweet, drifted so far afield from the original, but than goodness there are several artisans bringing the good stuff back. My vanilla bean ice cream thanks you all. I make this caramel sauce with either white sugar or natural sugar and love them both. If this is your first time and you're not so sure about noticing color changes to indicate doneness, use the white sugar, as the color change will be more apparent. Though stored in the fridge, this salty dark caramel sauce is a treat best served at room temperature. Here are 10 ways your family and friends will love it: spooned over ice cream; swirled into espresso; sandwiched between two cookies; drizzled over pavlovas; stirred into yogurt or pudding; spread on toast; whirred up in a milkshake; baked into brownies; dripped onto fresh bananas; and spread into a s'more."

List of Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 Tbsp (½ stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
• ½ cup heavy cream
• â…› tsp fine sea salt


Recipe

Measure everything out before getting started because this is a recipe that requires your eyes on the pot at all times.

Add the sugar in an even layer to a heavy-bottom (about 5-inch) pot over medium-high heat. Shake the pan, as needed, to evenly spread the sugar across the bottom of the pan.

When the sugar begins to melt, stir with a wooden spoon to ensure that no hot spots develop and help the sugar continue to melt. Melt until all the sugar dissolves, the caramel just simmers, and it takes on an amber-like hue. The sugar may crystallize a bit on the side of the pan, but keep stirring.

When the sugar starts to simmer, stop stirring; just swirl the pan to urge it along. Stay close to the pot and pay attention to the aroma of the caramel - you want it to melt and darken slightly in color but also take on a dark flavor; you will know that the dark flavor is coming to life when you smell the almost-burnt scent above the pot. At that moment, remove the pot from the heat and swirl to help maintain the temperature. Place on a thick towel on a heatproof surface.

Gradually add the butter, as it will foam up a bit, and stir or swirl to help it melt. Gradually add the heavy cream, as it will foam up a bit too, and stir to combine. Add the salt and sugar and stir again to combine. If you have any clumps, feel free to strain it. Carefully ladle the caramel sauce through a funnel into a 1-pint glass jar with a lid. Let the caramel sauce cool before sealing the jar. Store in the fridge up to 1 week.

Makes about 1¼ cups