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Saturday 30 January 2016

Birthday Dessert


I turned 22 on the 26th of December and was sick of cakes after a spate of birthdays recently. Initially I decided to have a birthday starter instead (of cheese soufflé) but one of my friends posting a photo of some caramel that she was making swayed me in favour of homemade vanilla ice cream drizzled with salted caramel (my current, and long-lasting, weakness - last year's cake was a set of salted caramel fondants). Previously I've always bought in my salted caramel sauce from the excellent Artisan du Chocolat in London as I don't want to see just how bad for me it is, but they sadly don't have an outpost in Poitiers nor Talmont (they should really look into that) so I had to bite the bullet and make it myself.

First off, I'm sorry but it is as bad for you as you think it is, however, it's even more scrumptious than you think it will be so just enjoy it! My pan of caramel is currently cooling and every time I pass it I take a spoonful, thankfully there's a lot of it!

You can use this for anything, as a sauce, in cakes, or in filled chocolates, the possibilities are endless and it's so easy to make, just put everything in a pan and heat it up, stirring all the time. Try it, let me know how it goes but I can promise that you won't be disappointed.

The easiest way to sterilise the jar is to wash it in how soapy water and then microwave it for 30 seconds at a time until it is completely dry. Fill it while it is still hot. To sterilise the lid you need to wash it as before and then boil it in a pan of water for 20 minutes.


Salted Caramel

Makes about 1 jar
Keeps for 3 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer

Ingredients

50g butter preferably room temperature
175g light brown sugar
300ml double cream
½ - 1tsp sea salt (to taste)

Method

Place the butter in a smallish pan along with the sugar and cream, and ½ a teaspoon of salt.
Place on a low heat and stir until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.
Taste to test if you're happy with the saltiness of the sauce (I added an extra ⅓ of a teaspoon here).
Turn up the heat and let the sauce bubble for a few minutes until it has thickened (it should coat the back of a spoon).
Leave to cool for 10 minutes if using immediately, or until cold ad then decant it into a sterilised jar, if storing it.

Now, I'm off to have another mouthful of sauce. I hope you enjoy making and eating this as much as I have.

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2 comments:

  1. It reminds me just how good it was!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I enjoyed using the leftovers in brownies the other day :)

      Delete

I love to cook and this blog follows my successes (and a few failures) in the kitchen. If you enjoy my posts, or think there is a problem with a recipe then please let me know