Flavored Caramels

[tammylc]

Over in the thread on interesting flavor combinations, Truffle Guy gives this list of fascinating sounding caramels:

With the number of replies, I'm sure some of these caramels will be redundant but here goes.  All of these caramels are very fluid and are centers in my bon bons.  They are very easy to make and the combinations are pretty endless:

Rosemary Caramel -

Lavendar Caramel

Earl Grey Caramel

Creme Brulee - I brush the inside of a white shell with Chambord then drop in some bits of caramelized sugar and then finish it with a white chocolate-vanilla bean caramel.  I just expermented and came up with this a few weeks ago and it has gotten the best response of almost anything I've ever done.

Lemon Caramel

Gran Marnier Caramel

Some I will be experimenting with shortly:

Basil and Curry Caramel

Anise Caramel

Key Lime Caramel

Cardamon Caramel

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I've had a variety of "very fluid" caramels as centers in bonbons. Many of them - like the pear filling in the "Caramel Caresse" from Chocolate Moderne in NYC - are not what I'd necessarily think of as caramels. How does one make something like this?

[alanamoana]

you start by making a dry caramel in a pot and then you add your infused cream to it. you can add butter and even chocolate to it after it cools.

it is thicker or thinner based on how much cream you add to the caramel.

i had a coconut-curry truffle from vosges (whose chocolates i was determined NOT to like) and it was surprisingly good. i have a hard time with things like basil because i feel fresh herb flavors get muddied when infused, particularly leafy herbs...not so much things like thyme or rosemary. you end up tasting cut grass, if you know what i mean.

[mrose]

You cook the the caramel to a lower temperature. I cook the caramel I use in molded chocolates to ~230f. This gives a caramel that will sort of "pancake out" but not extremely fluid. For that you might try ~220.

[Desiderio]

I do as Alana said, make dry caramel then add infused cream ( lavender etc. ) then butter , you can adjust the fluidity as you like .

These ones on the pictures are pretty fluid.

I also tryed A new caramel filling form the new book, more solid and pretty easy to work with.

[tammylc]

Okay - good to know that infused creams will work for caramels too. I'd been wondering.

The Chocolat Moderne "caramel" that I mention doesn't have an opaque brown creaminess to it that I think of caramel having. It's very light in color, very soft, and flavored with pear puree and Poire William. Any guesses on how something like that's made? A very lightly caramelized sugar, with the puree and Poire William taking the place of the cream, maybe?

[Desiderio]

I answer for my caramel in the picture, its looks like that beacuse is whipped.Otherwise would be clearer.

I would probabily try your idea of caramelized sugar and using the pure or etc. insted of cream.

[pringle007]

What exactly is a "dry" caramel?

[John DePaula]

What exactly is a "dry" caramel?

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It means, simply, that you don't add water prior to heating up the sugar. You just melt the sugar in the pot "dry," stirring constantly to avoid scorching.

[Desiderio]

I just remembered that few weeks ago I did an apple caramel with the same idea we are talking about here.Caramel made with sugar and apple sider and little bit of apple vinegar.When done I added some more apple sider to get the fluidity I wanted.

[Kerry Beal]

you start by making a dry caramel in a pot and then you add your infused cream to it.  you can add butter and even chocolate to it after it cools.

it is thicker or thinner based on how much cream you add to the caramel.

i had a coconut-curry truffle from vosges (whose chocolates i was determined NOT to like) and it was surprisingly good.  i have a hard time with things like basil because i feel fresh herb flavors get muddied when infused, particularly leafy herbs...not so much things like thyme or rosemary.  you end up tasting cut grass, if you know what i mean.

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Alana,

Was it a caramel center with the coconut-curry flavourings? Might be fun to try, deglazing your caramel with coconut milk or cream for the coconut flavour, infused with a mild curry.

[alanamoana]

you start by making a dry caramel in a pot and then you add your infused cream to it.  you can add butter and even chocolate to it after it cools.

it is thicker or thinner based on how much cream you add to the caramel.

i had a coconut-curry truffle from vosges (whose chocolates i was determined NOT to like) and it was surprisingly good.  i have a hard time with things like basil because i feel fresh herb flavors get muddied when infused, particularly leafy herbs...not so much things like thyme or rosemary.  you end up tasting cut grass, if you know what i mean.

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Alana,

Was it a caramel center with the coconut-curry flavourings? Might be fun to try, deglazing your caramel with coconut milk or cream for the coconut flavour, infused with a mild curry.

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kerry, it was a ganache...but your idea sounds great for a caramel. i was just surprised that i liked it as much as i did. i think it could have been more subtle...it was a bit in-your-face-ish.

i also make a nice kaffir lime caramel that i like. i am going to try to make it more liquid for a filling for molded chocolate.

[Kerry Beal]

i also make a nice kaffir lime caramel that i like.  i am going to try to make it more liquid for a filling for molded chocolate.

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That sounds very interesting, do you use the dried leaves? Let us know how the more liquid filling turns out.

[ChristopherMichael]

Does anyone has a good recipe for a passion fruit or raspberry caramel cream?

[equality5271]

I will be making some chocolates for Christmas, and they are going to be all caramels. I am planning on making two chewier caramels (hand dipped) and two more liquidy caramels (molded).

The question is...what are some ways of getting flavor into my caramels?

Can I cook my wet sand sugar in tea not plain water? Will it crystallize or will the flavor of the tea withstand all of that heat?

What about adding fruit flavors? Can I cook my sugar into a fruit puree and water? What would another way of getting a fruit flavor in? Should I add a reduced fruit puree near the end or at the end or does it not matter? I'm really worried that the fruit puree will make them have too much moisture and more prone to spoilage.

I am going to play around with cream infusion. I might try some more vegetables. I've made a corn caramel this way before.

Are there any other ideas out there?

Thanks for your help.

[natter]

You also might want to try some fruit liqueurs. They are essentially the same thing as vanilla extract just with flavors other than vanilla.

Edited December 1, 2007 by natter (log)

[John DePaula]

The temperature to which you cook your caramel is related to the amount of moisture contained. So the more moisture you start with, the longer it will take you to reach the right temperature.

I haven't tried cooking with tea, rather than plain water, though it should be possible. Not sure how the tea would hold up; probably depends in large part on the particular tea.

You can add the fruit puree at the beginning (careful not to let is scorch while cooking) or near the end, which could give you a stronger puree flavor. I just put mine in at the beginning and it's pretty good.

[Desiderio]

If I was to try a tea infused caramel I would infuse the cream with the tea , like for lavender etc.,the strain and add as usual.

When I made passion fruit caramels ,I used puree' and passion fruit liquor.

[Kerry Beal]

A couple of drops of essential oil can also be added while the caramel is cooling.

[prasantrin]

A couple of drops of essential oil can also be added while the caramel is cooling.

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If you add it while it's cooling, should you stir it? I'm thinking of chewy caramel, not the soft liquidy kind. I'm thinking of making peppermint-flavoured caramels. I love peppermint anything!

[Kerry Beal]

A couple of drops of essential oil can also be added while the caramel is cooling.

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If you add it while it's cooling, should you stir it? I'm thinking of chewy caramel, not the soft liquidy kind. I'm thinking of making peppermint-flavoured caramels. I love peppermint anything!

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With the chewy caramel you would add it once it's off the boil and before you pour it out. Give it a good stir. Same time I add the vanilla.

Mint is lovely in chewy caramel - gives a nice warm minty taste.

[mostlylana]

Vanessa mentioned that this is a whipped caramel filling. I would love to do caramel cups in this fashion but I'm tentative to whip caramel as doesn't this cause crystallization? Yikes!

What is the method for getting whipped results without the crystallization?

[pringle007]

Ive used tea in caramel before in place of water. I made a "southern sweet tea" caramel that sat atop a lemon ganache.

[Lior]

I am looking for advice on a caramel center that has some strong tasting alcohol in it like whisky (or other suggestion). Would I simply reduce the amount of cream and add the alcohol at the end of the process? I have made Kerry's and Mark's caramel centers. I cannot recall how soft they were. I dont want leaking issues so maybe cook to 120C? Or would that be too hard for a felling?

[Kerry Beal]

My caramel center is pretty liquid - you could however add some chocolate to it and some booze at the end and get a nice strong flavour I would think.

[Lior]

well in the end I made your recipe (caramel centers) - thanks again... I made sure to get it to 113-115 C after adding the cream- was quick. I added a bit less cream and then some nice whisky which was made with hazelnuts but I tasted cinnamon in it, at the end. It took forever to cool down to pipe but was the perfect color and consistency- thick but pipeable very easily. Kinda cool how it is thick and yet the "pointy curly thing" left after detaching of the caramel being piped into a shell, flattens out and disappears completely after a few seconds. I could have put even more booze but was hesitant. The recipe was perfect for about 80 heart shaped shells. Tomorrow I do a repeat-with more booze...

Edited September 28, 2014 by Lior (log)