visions of caramel

I don’t know what first brought us to try making caramel – I think it may have been this delicious recipe. I had all the ingredients on hand and as often happens with me and cake, I had to make it on the spot. To make the cake, though, I needed to first make the caramel. The directions looked simple – deceptively simple, in fact.

Sugar in dutch oven, heat sugar until it melts, add warmed cream and voila, caramel.

So I tried it and got the deceptively simple bit figured out. Dan, who is much more brave and patient with such things, stepped in and after three failed attempts we, er, he had success.

Now he is the tried and true caramel chef of our household. I bake the cakes, the goodies and the breads. I cook the lasagna, the pancakes and the mexican food (although he is getting better and better at that one). Dan cooks the pastas, the vegetarian wonders and the meat. He tackles the tiramisu, the chocolate mousse and the cheesecake…and now the caramel. It works out just great.

Now that Dan has mastered the caramel we are never without a little mason jar of this precious treat for special desserts, mid-afternoon sneaking and late night snacking.

So to be honest, I am posting this as mine but in reality I’ve never made the caramel from start to finish. Dan always seems to pop in the door or the kitchen just as my pulse is rising and the sweat is starting to blur my vision.

But you can do this. I know you can. Like I said, it’s very simple.

There are different ways of making caramel – this is how we’ve found it works for us.

Start by adding 2 cups of heavy cream to a sauce pan and heat over medium low. Add 1 cup of sugar to a wide pan and heat over slightly lower than medium heat. Rotate the pan to spread the sugar evenly over the bottom of your pan. You must be careful it doesn’t heat too quickly or too much.

Watch carefully. Don’t leave. Remember what I said about burning nuts? This requires patience and attention.

As you watch you’ll notice the sugar beneath the surface begin to melt.

Don’t touch.

It spreads. It darkens. Don’t stir it. If you get in there with a spoon you’ll likely end up with a big lump of crystallized sugar.

Once you can see the lower level of sugar melting you may very gently, using a spatula or wooden spoon, edge the solid sugar over the melted areas to help it heat more evenly. Be careful not to disturb the melted sugar beneath. Sounds tricky but it just requires a slow hand.

As it melts a little more you can gently swirl the pan to spread the unmelted sugar around a little further.

Soon the sugar melts to this lovely amber colour. Remember the previous rule and don’t stir it.

You may however gently press the unmelted edges down into the pan when it looks like this.

At this point there are still a few solid pieces but it can turn to burnt sugar in a flash and then it is good for nothing. If you smell even a hint of burnt sugar clean your pot and start over – even the slightest bit will ruin the whole batch. Once it turns this dark amber colour it is time to remove the pan from the heat.

Slowly pour in the hot cream and stir it in to the now caramelized sugar.

It bubbles quite a bit. Keep stirring until combined.

Once the bubbling subsides you may find some clumps of caramelized sugar.

Put the pan back on the heat and using a wooden spoon press the lumps to the bottom of the pan and stir around until they are melted.

A couple of minutes is all it seems to take and your caramel becomes smooth and creamy. This is the point we remove it from the heat and add a pinch of salt. The longer you cook it the thicker it will get but keep in mind that it will also thicken as it cools.

Once it has cooled you can pour it into a mason jar for storing, into cake batter, over ice cream or wherever your heart desires.

Liquid gold.

Caramel

1 cup sugar

2 cups heavy cream

pinch of salt

In a small saucepan heat the heavy cream but do not boil. While the cream warms, heat the sugar in a wide pan or dutch oven over medium or medium-low heat. Watch the sugar carefully as it begins to caramelize but do not stir it. Using a wooden spoon or spatula you may gently spread the sugar, without disturbing the melted sugar, to even out the melting speed. Watch carefully that the sugar doesn’t burn. Once the sugar is melted and a deep amber colour, remove from the heat and slowly pour in the heated cream. Stir to combine. If any lumps of caramelized sugar remain, put the pan back over the heat and stir until the all solids are dissolved. Allow to cool slightly and either use immediately or store in the refrigerator.

Try it. It’s worth it.

Be still my beating heart.