Caramel is one of the easiest things a cook can make, requiring minimal ingredients. Its flavor is delicious alone or used as a sauce or filling. This article discusses the process of making caramel using the "wet sand" method. The process discussed below can be used with any caramel recipe and is intended as a guide of what caramel is, some basic uses, and a detailed explanation of how to make a delicious sauce. Find a discussion of dry caramel on this blog, as well as several exciting recipes to make using your caramel sauce.
Caramel is, most plainly, white sugar cooked to a temperature at which the sugar begins to caramelize, beginning at 320 degrees Fahrenheit. The safest way to cook sugar is the "wet sand" method, in which a small amount of water is worked into granulated sugar until the sugar takes the consistency of wet sand. This solution is then heated; the water keeping the sugar from burning if the heat (or the sugar) is uneven. The sugar syrup starts to boil and as the water evaporates, it passed through a number of stages, until beginning to brown. To prevent the sugar granules from recrystallizing, avoid stirring the sugar until it has begun to caramelize.
Many caramel novices make the mistake of "stopping" the caramel too soon, adding a fat or a liquid to stop the sugar cooking. The darker the color of your caramel, the richer your flavor will be, so aim for a rich amber color in your caramel. To make a simple caramel sauce, you must first cook the sugar syrup to dark amber. It should look like a shiny penny, or a piece of amber stone.
Have on hand butter and cream, and though you can warm your cream to prevent the caramel from seizing due to the temperature difference between cold cream and hot sugar, it isn't necessary. When your caramel has achieved the desired color, add some butter and stir until fully emulsified. The caramel will bubble vigorously, but it is important to fully emulsify the butter before adding your cream so that the finished caramel sauce does not separate. Once the butter is emulsified, add a couple ounces of cream and stir. The caramel will seize up, clumping in the bottom of the pan, but continue to whisk in the first addition of cream, adding another small amount of cream once this is incorporated. At this point, you should be able to add the rest of your cream, and you should have a smooth sauce with no clumps of hardened sugar.
These days, salted caramel sauces are increasingly popular. While the idea of salt in desserts may seem strange to some, caramel is a flavor that really loves salt. Adding salt to sweets, in general, intensifies the flavor. Add a couple pinches of salt to your finished caramel, either immediately or when the sauce has cooled enough to taste. Do not touch caramel sauce once you have taken it off the heat, as it is extremely hot. Transfer the sauce to a container, and then fill your pan with cold water and bring to a boil. This should remove any of the caramel still clinging to the pan, making it an easy cleanup.
Your finished caramel sauce can be used to sauce anything, or as a vehicle for dipping cookies, bananas, fingers. For a flavored caramel sauce, simply stick an herb or spice (such as star anise, vanilla bean, or cinnamon) in your sugar while it cooks, or add a splash of liquor when finished. Some caramel sauces call for juice or other liquids rather than cream, but the same basic method applies.
Once you've got the basics of cooking sugar to caramel, you can begin to make a range of candies and brittles, as well as sauces, frostings and other baked goods.
