Sugar and cream, plus a little heat, is all you need to create a mouth-watering confection that is sultry, even smokey, and deeply complex. Add a pinch of salt and a little butter and you have a beautiful Caramel Sauce that will bring the flavor of autumn to your table.
The Beauty of Caramel
Caramel. Just the sound of the word itself, spoken slowly and with distinct elocution, is poetry. It begins bold and breathy, then ends soft and low. The syllables feel round on my tongue and make my mouth water.
So simple, caramel is made by applying heat to sugar and cream. You can add a pinch of salt and a little butter for richness. That’s all it takes to create a flavorful confection that is sultry, even smokey, and deeply complex. The closer it gets to the edge of burning the more satisfying the bittersweet caramel notes become.
Not only does it taste fantastic but caramel is also truly beautiful. Spun into amber threads it is uniquely decorative. Solidified into nut brittles it can buckle into soft flakes or break into opaque shards or crack into tiles like wedges of stained glass. Cooked softly, caramel is lovely drizzled like droplets of golden sunshine over a variety of desserts.
Kitchen Alchemy
Caramel is pure kitchen alchemy. Not only is it a paragon of transformation itself but it retains the power to transform when added to other kitchen creations as well. This particular sauce is the suggested topping for a Pear Pie. When I made a second little Ginger Pear Pie this week I remembered the suggestion. I omitted the streusel topping on my pie and served each slice drizzled with the Caramel Sauce alone.
It was delicious. So delicious that I invested another five mintues in making a second batch of the sauce that I drizzled on every other dessert I tested this week from Banana Streusel Cake to Spirited Southern Sweet Pototo Bars. I also used it to top plain sliced fruit including pears, peaches, apples and bananas. That done I wiped my finger around the edge of the decanter to get the last taste. I didn’t want to let even a drop of that golden liquid go to waste. Caramel really is that good!
Enjoy!
Caramel Sauce
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy1/3
cup2
minutes5
minutesQuick and easy, this caramel topping adds a touch of autumn flavor to a variety of desserts from simple to sophisticated. Serve it drizzled over fresh fruit, autumn pies, cake squares or ice cream.
Ingredients
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
small pinch of salt, plain or fancy (if desired)
1 teaspoon water
Directions
- In a small heavy saucepan, combine the brown sugar, whipping cream and butter.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook one minute. Remove from heat and stir in the salt and water.
- Serve at room temperature or slightly warmed with pie, cake squares, fruit or other desserts.
Notes
- Recipe Source: adapted from a recipe at MyRecipes.com.
the image of cascading caramel is hard to top, ever. lovely post!
This sauce looks heavenly, Lisa. I can imagine it drizzled on a slice of warm apple pie or grilled peach halves. It looks quick and easy to make.
Aimee – I hope you will try it! This sauce is so simple and it makes just enough to enjoy without having to wonder how to use what's left over.
ZM – Thank you! It is always fun to stop by Zupan's whenever I'm in the neighborhood.
This looks so simple—and beautiful! And it sounds much better than store-bought caramel!
If you ever find yourself low on these essential baking ingredients, don't forget to stop at Zupan's!
Oh YUM!!! You made a good day even better by your post:)
I will SO have to try this! Thanks!
Blessings,
Aimee