Results for ‘Caramel Sauce’

It’s been awhile.

Monday, October 3rd, 2011

Hi! I’ve missed this.

Saturday was downright beautiful. I took a nap. Hear me out. It was for good reason. We tried to take a bike ride with Nora for the first time. Seems pretty easy, I know, but whenever you do something as a parent for the first time (Bjorns, walks w/ your dog & baby), it’s a challenge. We had the trailer, we had the bikes, all we needed was the helmet. We went to the bike shop, found a really cute one, and were on our merry way.

We went home, set up the trailer, put on the cute helmet, and soon had a screaming, upset child. We finally got her buckled in and were off.

We made it five houses down the street before realizing that the helmet was over her face and not going to work. By that point it was time for snacks and a nap… for all.

On the upside I made caramel sauce! This time around, I used Lottie + Doof’s caramel filling from his chocolate tart recipe (if you have not made this yet, I highly recommend it!). The caramel filling has a great texture and I love that it  uses creme fraiche. We put the caramel to good use on sundaes for my mom’s birthday, but my favorite way to have it, is on a spoon (remember this?). But with all of these good apples laying around, that’s probably your best drizzling option (good thinking Katie).

Caramel Sauce

adapted from Lottie + Doof

1/2 cup water

2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons crème fraîche

Place 1/2 cup water in a large saucepan. Add sugar and corn syrup, and cook mixture over medium-high heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until it becomes a medium-amber caramel ; about 10 minutes (I found this took me 20 minutes!). Remove pan from heat and slowly (the mixture will bubble up) add the heavy cream followed by the butter and crème fraîche. Stir until smooth. Let it cool completely.  (The caramel should be refrigerated in a covered container.) It is great kept at room temp for serving or heated and drizzled over whatever.

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So long, Winter

Friday, March 19th, 2010

I am starting to see the light. March is in full swing, which brings a sneak peek of warm weather, St. Patrick’s Day and lots of basketball (I’m totally hooked). Living in Chicago during the month of February proves to be a serious challenge. I often consider moving somewhere mild during the rough winter month, but this year was different. In an attempt to make February more interesting, my brother, Charlie, and his friends jokingly referred to February as “Guilty Pleasures” month.

I ran with the concept. To me, guilty pleasure month involved a heaping bowl of ice cream every night and watching one too many episodes of bad E! reality TV shows. I did not have Graeter’s to indulge myself, so I found (actually my dad found) Graham’s in Chicago’s western suburbs. All of the ice cream is made in their small shop and is out-of-this-world. I am not saying it beats Graeter’s, but it’s pretty darn good.

Once the Graham’s container was licked clean, I decided to top vanilla bean ice cream with some homemade caramel sauce. I love caramel sauce, especially if it’s salted. This recipe can be used to top any of your guilty pleasures: pies, cupcakes, or cookies. I gifted some of the caramel to Charlie; he was found using a spoon to eat the chilled sauce straight up… he probably should have just used his finger. But I guess it’s not February anymore.

Caramel Sauce
adapted from: Bon Appetit, 2006

1 1/2 cups (packed) dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
6 TBS (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
Kosher salt to taste

In a medium saucepan, bring all ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, turn down heat (just slightly) and whisk continuously for 10 minutes. When completed, the sauce should coat the back of a spoon.

Let the sauce cool and store in the refrigerator. To reheat, place the sauce in a medium saucepan and heat over low heat while whisking. Be careful not to let the caramel get too hot. This caramel sauce can be eaten chilled as well.

*Can be made up to a week in advance.

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