Salted Vanilla Bean Caramel Sauce

By broots

Ingredients

• 1 pound caramel, preferably from a block
• 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or Vanilla Bean Crush
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Details

Adapted from kingarthurflour.com

Preparation

Step 1

1) Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan set over medium heat.

2) Stirring frequently, continue to heat until the caramel has liquefied and the ingredients have blended together.

3) Transfer to jars and cool. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

IF YOU WOULD RATHER MAKE YOUR OWN CARAMEL FROM SCRATCH, TRY OUT OUR CARAMEL SAUCE RECIPE:

Caramel Sauce
Start with sugar, butter, salt, and cream. Add heat. Finish with vanilla or the complementary flavor of your choice (or a spoonful of rum). The result? Thick, rich caramel sauce. The directions for this sauce look a bit fussy at first glance, but follow them carefully and you’ll do just fine.

1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) cold water
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) butter, melted
½ cup (4 ounces) heavy cream or whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla; or ¼ teaspoon butter-rum or butterscotch flavor; or 1 tablespoon rum

Place the sugar, salt, and water in a deep, heavy-bottom saucepan; it should be at least 2-quart capacity, as the syrup will bubble up during preparation. Stir to combine, and heat over medium-high heat, stirring to help it along, till the mixture starts to bubble.

When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and watch carefully. The syrup will begin to turn golden around the edges. Shake the pan in a swirling motion to keep the syrup moving, and to prevent the edges from burning before the center colors. Stir the edges in towards the center occasionally.

After a couple of minutes, the syrup will begin to darken. If it looks like it’s getting dry on top, stir until it’s syrupy again. As soon as it’s a rich amber color, remove it from the heat and stir in the butter. Once the butter has been absorbed, stir in the cream. Stir till smooth; don’t worry, it’ll seem lumpy at first, but will smooth out. Add the vanilla or flavor of your choice; butter-rum is tasty. Or stir in a tablespoon of rum. When the sauce is smooth, let it sit in the pan for a couple of minutes before pouring it into a glass or ceramic container to cool. Cool to room temperature, and store in the refrigerator. Reheat briefly before serving.
Yield: 12 ounces, about 1 1/3 cups sauce.