Recipe: Caramel sauce / Butterscotch sauce

Caramel sauce is very easy to make, and quite a lot of fun because it tends to be slightly different every time.  You will find that once you are comfortable making it and can anticipate the progression of the caramel itself , your results will be consistently great, but alas very hard to repeat that "perfect" batch exactly two times in a row.  Sure, you could use a precisely set induction burner, candy thermometer and a timer to keep the conditions exactly the same, but I like to stay flexible with caramel sauce, maybe the next batch will even top that "perfect" one.  

I find the difference lies in the "seasoning" - the tiniest touches of salt and lemon juice can elevate a great caramel to a whole new level.  Just think of the flavour sensing areas of the tongue - a caramel reacts to sweet and bitter already, so by adding just a little salt and lemon, the sour and salty taste buds can join the party and your sauce has twice the audience.  As for the butter, I often don't use it, but it brings around a butterscotch flavour, so by adding more butter and less cream, you get butterscotch sauce.  After a while, experiment with other sugars - honey and maple syrup make some great caramels with very distinctive characters.

You will need:

250ml / 1C       granulated sugar

250ml / 1C       cream (you may want a little more or less)

to taste             salt

to taste             lemon juice

to taste             unsalted butter (if making butterscotch)

Method:

 - in a clean saucepan,  add the sugar and enough water to make a heavy syrup (60ml / 1/4C)

 - put a lid or cover over the pan and start on medium heat (this fends off unwanted crystallization)

 - when the sugar has dissolved into the water and is simmering, you can turn it up a little

 - periodically check under the lid for colour change

 - when you start to see yellow, gently swirl the pan to spread it out and begin lowering the heat

 - as the yellow turns golden, drop the heat to low to slow down and control the caramelization

 - remove the cover and swirl until you have the colour you want (light = sweet, dark = bitter)

 - pull the pan away from the heat and add a little of the cream - careful it will boil up a bit

 - once the cream has settled down, return it to low heat and let any seized caramel re-melt into the sauce

 - add a bit more of the cream and gently whisk into the sauce

 - let the sauce simmer, then add any more cream you wish to add

 - "season" with salt and lemon juice - subtlety is key

 - remove from the heat

 - if adding butter, whisk it in while the caramel is still warm

 - cool completely and store in the fridge until use