To paraphrase the late author Clifton Fadiman, caramel is sugar’s leap toward immortality. A good caramel is unbeatable — it has a glossy appearance, a silken mouthfeel and a long, pleasant finish.
That finish comes from several things. The first is from cooking the caramel long enough. When you cook it, a caramel should be deep amber and fragrant, with clouds of steam vapors rising from its surface.
The second thing is salt. If you’ve ever tasted those little confections called Fleur de Sel Caramels you know how much a little salt elevates the flavor of caramel.
Caramel is also a wonderful template for any number of flavor variations. Caramel works well with spices: Try adding a few cinnamon sticks or a pinch of anise seed to your sugar at the beginning.
It’s great with brown-colored spirits like whiskey or bourbon, and especially tropical liqueurs like rum, or Kahlua. Add a few tablespoons while your caramel base is still warm.
I also like to use it with savory herbs, especially rosemary or thyme. An herbed caramel sauce is delicious as a sauce for any dessert made with nuts.
Finally, caramel is always enhanced with the addition of citrus zest, especially orange zest, or by substituting fruit puree for some of the cream in the caramel base recipe. A fruit-based caramel is a real treat poured over vanilla ice cream.
John Broening cooks at Duo and Olivea restaurants in Denver.
Caramel Sauce
Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2cup water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream
Pinch salt
Directions
Use a heavy-bottomed non reactive pot with a clear glass lid for this recipe. The lid creates condensation in the preliminary stages of the caramel and prevents the caramel base from seizing.
Whisk together the sugar, water and corn syrup in the pot. Cover with the lid and cook over medium heat, about 10 minutes. When the mixture begins to brown along the sides, remove the lid and swirl the caramel every 10 seconds or so.
When the caramel is deep amber and fragrant and starts to give off steam vapors, add the cream.
(The mixture will sputter violently, so don’t stand too close). Allow the caramel to incorporate the cream (it’s not necessary to stir it). When the caramel is smooth, whisk in the salt.
Variations
LIQUEUR
Add 2 tablespoons of liqueur per cup of caramel while the caramel is still warm.
SPICES
Cinnamon: Use 1 stick per cup of sugar. Add the cinnamon when you whisk together the sugar, water and corn syrup and remove when the caramel is finished.
Anise seed: Use 1 teaspoon per cup of sugar.
HERBS
Add one 3-inch sprig rosemary per cup of sugar or three 2-inch sprigs thyme when the caramel is still warm. Allow to cool in caramel, then remove.
FRUIT PUREE OR JUICE
Orange juice: reduce 3 cups orange juice down to 1 cup. Substitute the reduced orange juice and zest of 1 orange for 1 cup of the cream in the recipe.
Plum or pear puree: substitute 1 cup of the fruit puree for 1 cup of the cream in the recipe.
