There is nothing more tempting than a rich and creamy helping of caramel sauce over your vanilla ice cream, grilled bananas, plum pudding etc. The sight of a well made and consistent caramel sauce dripping out on to slices of green apple or hot buttered toast is a marriage of decadence and elegance that cannot be matched by any other food combination. The intricacies of caramelizing sugar might have convinced you that it is beyond you to reproduce that smooth and glossy sauce that you get with your apple dippers and chocolate fudge at your favorite fast food joint, but here is a simple step-by-step guide to make a caramel sauce at home that will give the store-bought ones a run for their money. Read on.
Complexity Level: Basic
Time Required: 15 minutes
Resources Required:
1. 200 g of sugar
2. 50 g of butter
3. 100 ml fresh cream
Instructions:
1. Get the ingredients ready
Caramel sauce takes very little time to make and if you take too long it may burn and spoil. Take the cream and the butter out of the refrigerator in advance so that they are at room temperature when you start preparing the sauce. Keep them measured and ready to use near the stove.
2. Caramelize the sugar
Put the sugar in a pan and heat it. As the sugar starts to melt, stir it with a long handled metal spoon so that it heats and boils evenly. As it boils, the sugar crystals will melt and the liquid will take on a light brownish color.
3. Add the butter
As soon as you see that all the sugar has melted and the liquid has begun to go from clear to light brown, add the butter. Keep stirring the mixture till the butter has melted. As soon as the butter has melted entirely, take the sauce off the heat.
4. Add the cream
Add the cream and keep whisking. Continue to mix the sauce till it is smooth and creamy.
5. Cool the sauce
Allow the sauce to cool before attempting to pour it or store it. To store, pour the cooled caramel sauce into airtight jars and keep in the refrigerator. Warm it up to pouring consistency before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How to make hot chocolate sauce?
You can make hot chocolate sauce by following the same steps but using 100 g of brown sugar and 200 g of dark cooking chocolate. Let the sugar boil and without waiting for it to caramelize, add chocolate and butter. Mix well. Once this mix comes to a boil again, add the cream, stirring continuously. Take it off the heat once mixed well and continue to mix till all of the cream blends into the sauce.
Quick Tips:
1. The speed at which sugar boils, caramelizes and burns beyond repair can be a little frightening. You can add the butter into the sugar once it starts boiling without waiting for it to start caramelizing (turning brown). As you get a hang of the time you have between the sugar boiling and browning, you will feel more confident about waiting till it starts to caramelize before adding the butter.
2. A couple of drops of vanilla essence added after you have put the cream in it can add a nice twist to your sauce. You can also try orange or lemon.
3. You can use milk instead of fresh cream. Use the same quantity as recommended for cream. Your sauce will be a little thinner with milk than with cream.
4. If your sauce turns too thick, you can make it thin it by adding more cream or a little milk while it is still very hot.
Things to Watch Out For:
- Sugar boils at a very high temperature. Be very careful. Use kitchen mitts. Boiling sugar tends to pop and splatter. Use long handled stirring spoons. Keep the kids out of the kitchen. Don’t pour into glass containers till it sufficiently cooled down.
- The caramel sauce will fizz up every time you add something to it. Ensure that you are using a container that is deep enough to contain the rising froth.
