Caramel

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

OK. I confess, I am useless at making caramel. I know it is only melted sugar, but I needed 3 attempt today to get it correct and ended up ignoring my recipe completely in order not to burn it.

The recipe called for 100g of sugar. It doesn't state what sugar, so being in Australia and it being the most commonly available sugar, I used raw sugar which is a cross between demerara and granulated brown sugar. It is cane sugar, not beet sugar.

The recipe then said in a pan, heat until it melts and then bubble away for a few minutes until it changes to a couple of shades darker.

Well the first and second lots burnt. Even on a low heat, and most definitely not being allowed to bubble away for a few minutes. It foamed and then the foam smelt burnt. Pouring it out onto greaseproof paper to cool proved it was burnt with a taste test.

The final attempt, I ignored everything the instructions said, stirred it and didn't allow it to bubble away at all. in fact I removed it from the heat and poured it over the star anise as soon as it had melted. I'm not worried about a little not actually having completely caramelised or even melted tbh because it has yet to survive 20-30 minutes in my oven...

So what are your tricks and tips for getting caramel just so. I'm not after caramel with any dairy products in it, I'm talking straight melted sugar, carbonised to the point of being nice, but not burnt...

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

I can't see making a caramel from just dry sugar but no liquid. But, there are options that will work without dairy. I did recently see a recipe that used honey instead of sugar, which seems quite interesting, though I have to think it would change the flavor. By the way, I've seen recipes that call for the ingredients to be brought to a boil. I haven't found this to be necessary for this preparation or for the one I normally do with milk and butter: medium-low heat allows better control and a gradual transformation of ingredients. though it does take longer.

Here's something I did that worked out pretty well:

Ingredients

1 cup brown sugar, packed
1⁄2 cup coconut milk
4 tablespoons margarine
1 pinch salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients except vanilla in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until it gets thicker.
2. Add the vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further. Since the coconut milk and margarine are lower in fat than milk and butter, it might take a few more minutes to thicken than it would with regular ingredients.
3. Turn off the heat, cool slightly and pour the sauce into a jar. Refrigerate until cold.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

This could be a case of interpretation of wrong terminology. In the recipe I was following the caramel was a brittle caramel made solely from sugar. Not a soft chewy one, hence the no diary added was kinda a no extra ingredients really. Though curiously it was then heated up with lemon juice, the juices from the rhubarb and also some marg (with it all topped off with puff pastry). I ended up with a brittle caramel initially, but then it changed to a softer sticky caramel sauce (rather than caramel which you may know as brittle or brittle caramel?).

 

[Elawin]

Though curiously it was then heated up with lemon juice, the juices from the rhubarb and also some marg.....

I use brown sugar nearly all the time, and what you describe here was more or less how I made rhubarb jam (but using the whole rhubarb instead of the juices), and it was definitely soft. Having said that, the first time I made it, I just substituted the rhubarb for the soft fruit I usually use (blackberries), and you could have chiselled it out of the jar I had to let it cook at a slightly lower temperature to get it right, i.e. let it take longer for the sugar to melt and then not quite boil it for the four minutes the blackberry jam needs. I use butter in it too - some margarines seem to have a high "water" content.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I use brown sugar nearly all the time, and what you describe here was more or less how I made rhubarb jam (but using the whole rhubarb instead of the juices), and it was definitely soft. Having said that, the first time I made it, I just substituted the rhubarb for the soft fruit I usually use (blackberries), and you could have chiselled it out of the jar I had to let it cook at a slightly lower temperature to get it right, i.e. let it take longer for the sugar to melt and then not quite boil it for the four minutes the blackberry jam needs. I use butter in it too - some margarines seem to have a high "water" content.

this is the recipe I was using (Rhubarb & Star Anise Tarte Tatin) - and I was using whole rhubarb, it was just that in the 2nd cooking of the caramel (brittle stuff) as the rhubarb cooked, the juices from the rhubarb, flavour from star anise, lemon juice and marg would have all mixed with the now melted caramel brittle. My problem wasn't this bit, it was the very first stage of achieving the caramel brittle without burning the sugar because the directions were to simply melt the sugar in a pan and boil until several shades darker... well I started with pretty dark sugar as it was...

Plus butter is not an option being (fatally) allergic to it. Another reason I can't eat homemade jams unless I know all the ingredients. even a teaspoon per jar is too much for my allergy to cope with sadly.

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

which you may know as brittle or brittle caramel?

Yes...and, with peanuts added, it makes the tasty (but tooth destroying) peanut brittle (I think that white piece on the right is part of a peanut, not part of a tooth.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

(I think that white piece on the right is part of a peanut, not part of a tooth

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

(I think that white piece on the right is part of a peanut, not part of a tooth

 

[Elawin]

this is the recipe I was using (Rhubarb & Star Anise Tarte Tatin) - and I was using whole rhubarb, it was just that in the 2nd cooking of the caramel (brittle stuff) as the rhubarb cooked, the juices from the rhubarb, flavour from star anise, lemon juice and marg would have all mixed with the now melted caramel brittle. My problem wasn't this bit, it was the very first stage of achieving the caramel brittle without burning the sugar because the directions were to simply melt the sugar in a pan and boil until several shades darker... well I started with pretty dark sugar as it was...

Plus butter is not an option being (fatally) allergic to it. Another reason I can't eat homemade jams unless I know all the ingredients. even a teaspoon per jar is too much for my allergy to cope with sadly.

Sorry, I did not make myself clear - probably because my reply was written at silly o'clock when I couldn't get to sleep. I meant that the ingredients were very similar to those I use in making jam although the quantities must be different and, yes, it is all a lot darker than when using white or jam sugar. The first time I made it, it was like a brittle - it was hard, and you definitely could not spoon it out of the jar.

P.S. I know you are allergic to butter. I was just saying that I used it instead of margarine. Sorry if you misunderstood,

 

[medtran49]

You have to use a fairly heavy bottomed pot, low heat, and be patient and watchful. If you are using a thin bottomed pot that's why it's burning. I make caramel without liquid whenever I make flan, and I take it fairly dark as we like just that tiny hint of the bitterness that comes in before it starts to burn with flan. The molten sugas pours out into my flan dish and immediately starts to harden into a smooth, clear, glassy looking layer.

There are also a couple of savory recipes I use it for as well. Caramel with black pepper added, torchon de foie gras or a piece of seared foie gras, and a lightly dressed watercress salad make a surprisingly good combo. You do have to add a bit of liquid for this though because it hardens too much otherwise.