Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Making Caramel Sauce


EllenC

Recommended Posts

So tonight I had a craving for caramel sauce on my ice cream. I found a recipe:

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup cream

Heat everythng over medium heat until it boils and let it boil 1 min, then cool for an hour.

I cooled it in the refrigerator. When I pulled it out, it was grainy. I hate that. What did I do wrong? Or is there some better recipe for caramel sauce that stays saucy over my ice cream. I would also like to be able to heat it up sometimes.

What do you do for caramel sauce?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The problem with the recipe you've found is that you aren't actually making caramel. Some find flavor of brown sugar to be similar to caramel so you see a lot of products and recipes that claim to be caramel flavored use it. Here is a recipe for caramel sauce on Epicurious that should give you what you want.

If this is your first time making caramel it can be a little scary. Once it starts to brown it can get overly dark quickly, and the sugar will get VERY hot so you need to be careful not to get any on you. When you add the cream it will bubble up dramatically, so be sure to use a larger sauce pan that you might think for the volume.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've never made a caramel sauce that involved adding the cream up front. I'm guessing your sauce was grainy because the sugar & water didn't have a chance to form a syrup before the cream was added.

Adding the cream after the sugar syrup is hot and avoiding the spatters is the fun part anyway!

...wine can of their wits the wise beguile, make the sage frolic, and the serious smile. --Alexander Pope

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ellen, I'm with Neil, you're not making a caramel sauce but some variation of a "butterscotch" sauce--which is a poor and/or lazy substitute. Think of butterscotch as a too-sweet "pretend" caramel sauce that doesn't approach the depth of flavor of a true caramel. Don't fear a real caramel sauce.

The link that Melissa posted above isn't a good one--I mean, actually, it is helpful only in that we can comment on how unhelpful it is. First, you don't need a candy thermometer at all. Second, the "advice" in the link doesn't actually recommend you to cook your sugar to a "caramel" stage but instead to soft ball, which is clear and gets you nowhere. Third, it doesn't address the reason why you'll often see something like corn syrup in addition to the sugar in a given recipe--corn syrup helps prevent the sugar from crystallizing while you cook it. So make sure the corn syrup is in the pot from the beginning so it can help prevent crystallization later. (This is because granulated sugar, even when melted, wants to return to its granulated (crystalline) state--it will look for any opportunity to re-crystallize. That's why in the link Neil posted you are advised to brush down the sides of your pan with a wet pastry brush--the theory is by wiping down the sides, where some sugar might burn or crystallize you'll be removing what might contaminate the rest of your pot. Of course, some flour or dirt on your pastry brush could also cause your sugar to crystallize! I don't teach using a brush--I teach the theory behind why some people use a brush, though.)

Follow the Epicurious link instead--it's a better basic sauce which you can build on later. Without a thermometer, cook your sugar and water until you get a nice amber to dark brown color. We pastry chefs usually cook it by color and/or smell, until we smell "smoke" but that's really a personal and subjective preference--just because we push the upper limit of color doesn't mean you have to. Feel free to stop much earlier. Don't think in terms of time or temperature--just watch your pan, watch your color and remove it from the heat when you have a pretty amber or brown.

The next step is to deglaze--deglaze in this case is what you're doing when you pour a liquid onto that hot, cooked, caramel sugar--that's what viva was talking about--but here's a key pastry chef truc not mentioned in that Epicurious link: in a separate saucepan warm up your cream mixture (or whatever you deglaze your caramel with--sometimes we deglaze with tea or fruit juice) and add this warm liquid to your hot sugar--it will bubble up less and integrate better. Adding cold liquid shocks and sets the hot sugar.

You should warm the cream, turn off the heat, and just let it sit--so it is ready when your sugar is ready. Also realize that caramel sugar will continue to cook (darken) even after you remove it from the heat--so don't dilly dally: pull it off the heat, add the warmed cream.

And you also can add this warm cream slowly--in stages--allowing it to bubble up and then recede each time--that's another way you can prevent it from bubbling over.

If you are adding butter, don't whisk it in until the sugar/cream mixture has cooled down a bit--so do it when it is still warm but not hot.

Also do not watch TV or answer the phone or turn away while you are making a caramel sauce--it requires your direct attention for those few minutes and you'll be rewarded later.

Whatever recipe you work from and however thick the sauce gets as it cools--you can always re-heat and thin it out with more dairy or water to get the consistency you want. If you're pouring it over ice cream, you want to thin it out even more so it stays fluid even in contact with something so cold.

This can be stored in the fridge easily, rewarmed when needed.

Steve Klc

Pastry chef-Restaurant Consultant

Oyamel : Zaytinya : Cafe Atlantico : Jaleo

chef@pastryarts.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The only suggestion I would add is to have a white plate handy, especially if the pot you are using is dark - if you put dots of your sugar/syrup on the plate you can see the color as it changes to the amber brown you are looking for.

Good Luck with your next trial.

--adoxograph

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks everybody for the great replies. This is exactly the information I needed. I received a recipe that meets all these criteria nicely so I will test drive it and let you know how it turns out.

Thanks again.

Ellen

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ellen, you'll want to experiment too. If you've never caramelized sugar before, you'll be surprised at how much variation in taste and color you will get depending on how long you cook the syrup. Also, the darker you go on the syrup, the more complexity you'll taste in your final sauce. But if you go too dark, you will burn it.

Also the tip from Steve about warming your cream and adding it in stages is a real gem. Many recipes don't suggest that and it just means more work for you to remelt the caramel after you've added the cream.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, what they said above.

I love making caramel sauce. It's really easy, but gets big wows from people who don't know. I handed out about 20 half-pint jars of it last Christmas as gifts.

"I just hate health food"--Julia Child

Jennifer Garner

buttercream pastries

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Steve KLC’s comments are eminently well-reasoned & clearly stated. If I may so observe, there are a couple of clarifying points which are warrantable to add – least for the sake of fleshing-out some details:

The method under consideration is called the “wet method,” in which the initial stage of making caramel sauce is cooking the sugar w/ water. (I use an approx. 3-to-1 ratio.) The alternative method is “dry,” in which more experience is advisable in order to melt the sugar all by its lonesome, or w/ the addition of rubbed-in lemon juice.

James Peterson (Sauces: Classical & Contemporary Saucemaking) stresses that “the most important precautions to follow when preparing caramel [by the wet method] are: stir the mixture continuously, and do not use too high a heat; otherwise the sugar will burn rather than caramelize evenly.”

Caramel, with the exception of deep-fat frying, is the hottest and potentially most volatile liquid in the kitchen. We’re talking HOT: It’s rating is beyond hard-ball and hard-crack! Because sugar has reached an incredibly high temperature by the time it caramelizes (although it can dissolve in liquids at low temps, it doesn’t acutally begin to melt until it’s heated to 320°), it can burn you badly if you touch it. As Steve very prudently warned, please don’t allow yourself to become distracted by other things while preparing this sauce.

Furthermore, I appreciate Steve’s cautionary note re warming the cream prior to adding it to the pan: It should be brought to the point of scalding; juice need only be warmed. If cold liquids were added, they could turn the caramel to a solid. It would, of course, eventually melt, but this delay retards progress. I usually add about a tablespoon of corn syrup once the sugar-&-water mixture boils; when it reaches a light-med. brown caramel colour (about 338°), the pan is withdrawn from the flame, and bits of butter are whisked in, then orange juice to finish. (Ideally, we should use really fresh cream because if it’s less-than-fresh, the cream might curdle when mixed w/ the rather acidic caramel.)

Lastly, as Steve indicated, caramel sauce will store well under refrigeration for several months. Ah, how one longs for Gâteau St.-Honoré, Dobosh-Torte, or even Crème Caramel!

"Dinner is theater. Ah, but dessert is the fireworks!" ~ Paul Bocuse

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used to have a real hard time with dry caramels because many recipes indicate to put all your sugar into your pan and heat it until it begins to melt. Some say to heat it undisturbed, others say to stir from time to time or only begin stirring once it starts to melt. Invariably, I would have clumps and the sugar would be approaching the burnt (not in a good way) point.

Than I used Herme's recipe (and I'm sure other experts) which calls for heating just a few tablespoons of the sugar until it is a nice amber, then adding a few tablespoons more and stirring until that is melted, continuing on in small portions until it's all melted, at which point, you're practically ready to add the warmed cream.

That method for a dry caramel has never failed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 9 months later...

I am making individual cakes that are 3 layers high and about 2-3/4" in diameter. I want to put a layer of caramel between 2 layers and figured I'd either pipe caramel buttercream or a heavy ganache around the edges and fill it with the caramel sauce. I made caramel sauce using a recipe from cooksillustrated.com. It turned out well but at room temp I think it's a bit thinner than I would like.

How do I make it thicker without ending up with burnt caramel sauce? The ingredients are:

4 oz water

7 oz sugar

8-1/2 oz heavy cream

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp lemon juice

It says to heat it to 350F before adding the cream. It's a good colour and flavour. Can someone please help?

Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Orison Swett Marden

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sure. Just lessen the amount of cream and you should be good to go.

Any amount of liquid you add, even if scalded, is going to shock the caramel and stop the cooking process, so you won't have to worry about burning it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Guys! My tired brain was thinking that somehow I'd have to cook it longer or hotter and I couldn't see how that would work. Reducing the liquid makes total sense.

Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Orison Swett Marden

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Guys! My tired brain was thinking that somehow I'd have to cook it longer or hotter and I couldn't see how that would work. Reducing the liquid makes total sense.

I thought this link might be useful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use about a 1:2 ratio of butter to whipping cream in my caramel sauce, and it's very thick (like a thick caramel topping, rather than a sauce) even at room temperature.

And could you please share your recipe and method?

So long and thanks for all the fish.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

^ Sure, it's incredibly simple...I just came up with it myself. I guess it's not a true caramel though, since I use brown sugar. I use this topping for my cheesecakes, and it is thick enough that it doesn't drip, and slices as cleanly as the cheesecake base.

I just combine a cup of butter (and about a 1/4 tsp salt if using unsalted butter)and a cup of brown sugar in a saucepan and heat it on medium-high until the sugar dissolves. Then I lower the heat, add 2 cups of whipping cream (it will bubble up) and cook it for about 15 minutes, until it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. This makes enough sauce for you to pour over an 11" cheesecake, and leaves you with a small bowl of sauce to eat (heh heh heh). Once you chill the topped cheesecake overnight, the cheesecake can sit at room temperature for hours without the sauce dripping. :smile:

Sometimes I add a few teaspoons of rum extract to the sauce.

Edited by Ling (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Lorna! I was just coming on to ask if you could please post your recipe but see JFLinLA beat me to it. :) I imagine with that much butter and cream it's not too sweet either. I'll give it a try tomorrow.

Edited by CanadianBakin' (log)

Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Orison Swett Marden

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tell me how it turns out! Yes, it's not terribly sweet, but definitely sweet enough for a dessert topping. :smile:

(I've also done it the "real" way using white sugar and caramelizing it before adding the butter and cream...but it just takes longer to do.)

Edited by Ling (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

another trick is to make the caramel in advance. I find it thickens up a good bit if you let is sit even 24hours before using.

Do you suffer from Acute Culinary Syndrome? Maybe it's time to get help...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^ Sure, it's incredibly simple...I just came up with it myself. I guess it's not a true caramel though, since I use brown sugar. I use this topping for my cheesecakes, and it is thick enough that it doesn't drip, and slices as cleanly as the cheesecake base.

I just combine a cup of butter (and about a 1/4 tsp salt if using unsalted butter)and a cup of brown sugar in a saucepan and heat it on medium-high until the sugar dissolves. Then I lower the heat, add 2 cups of whipping cream (it will bubble up) and cook it for about 15 minutes, until it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. This makes enough sauce for you to pour over an 11" cheesecake, and leaves you with a small bowl of sauce to eat (heh heh heh). Once you chill the topped cheesecake overnight, the cheesecake can sit at room temperature for hours without the sauce dripping.  :smile:

Sometimes I add a few teaspoons of rum extract to the sauce.

Thanks Ling. And, if you want another way to make a caramel cheesecake, here's the recipe I cam up with for Caramel Cheesecake Squares now in the eGRA. I'll definitely have to give this other method a try.

So long and thanks for all the fish.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok, the results are in... :)

Lorna, I just reread your recipe and as I was going by memory at the time (my husband was game-ing) I missed the cooking for 15 minutes part so it turned out runny but the taste is awesome! Tomorrow I'll reheat it and trying getting it to thicken up. In the meantime, I tried JFLinLA's caramel filling with a slight adjustment and it's perfect for what I need. I used the instructions from the recipe in my first post, doubled your ingredients and added 1 oz of butter at the end. Perfect! Once again, egulleters have come through. :)

edited to add: this morning JFLinLA's caramel (with the added butter) is a little bit grainy. Any ideas on how this happened or how to fix it?

Edited by CanadianBakin' (log)

Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Orison Swett Marden

Link to comment
Share on other sites

edited to add: this morning JFLinLA's caramel (with the added butter) is a little bit grainy. Any ideas on how this happened or how to fix it?

The graininess is probably due to formation of new sugar crystals, i.e. crystallization. The easiest way to avoid that is to sub a few tablespoons of some corn syrup for some of the sugar. . . the next time you make it, that is.

"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced" - Vincent Van Gogh
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Patrick! I'll give that a try.

Does the grainyness(sp?) have something to do with why you should use a wet pastry brush to make sure all the sugar is in the bottom of the pot?

To follow up on Lorna's recipe... I put it back in a pot and boiled it for about 10 minutes and it thickened up great! The brown sugar gives it an amazing flavour. I could just sit and eat it sraight. I actually tried it on white toast this morning and oh my goodness.....it is sooooooo good! My only concern with it is I wonder if the butter might separate out a bit. Lorna, have you had this happen?

Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Orison Swett Marden

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...