Gray Skies, Sugar Highs

Having to work Thursday through Monday can create a really boring Tuesday and Wednesday. Everyone is at work. My house is cold. It’s grey outside. In order to prevent myself from watching countless NCIS reruns, I need to plan what I’ll do on my days off ahead of time. Cooking is a GREAT way to pass the time. I can take as much time as I want and try recipes that I would normally be nervous to attempt. So what recipe terrifies me the most? CARAMELS. First of all, you’re dealing with temperatures that make baking more akin to cooking lava (I mean, honestly, a candy burn makes for a bad story and a bad scar), there’s all these weird terms that are impossible to differentiate (hard ball, firm ball, soft ball, what?), and you need “special” equipment (candy thermometer’s come in big/small, long/short, mercury/digital and on, and on…). But on a particularly gray Tuesday afternoon, I was determined to try.

First thing I needed was a candy thermometer. I knew I didn’t want to spend a bundle just to make one recipe, so I headed to Bed, Bath, and Beyond. They definitely had the full range of gadgets. I decided on a Taylor Pro Kitchen Deep Fry Thermometer. This model had easy to read temperatures and candy zones (all those funky terms are already on the thermometer!), an insulated handle (preventing the possibility of said ugly candy scar), and, best of all, it was only $9.99!! There were much fancier models but this one just seemed perfect. Too bad Christina and I didn’t have this baby when we made our croquettes.

I chose Ina Garten’s fleur de sel caramel recipe because it was in my Back to Basics cookbook and I had recently seen it on her Food Network show. I also looove fleur de sel. It’s so light and delicious, without that bitter after-taste many table salts leave. It really brings out the flavor of whatever it’s used with, especially sweeter tastes.

This recipe took a surprisingly short amount of time, and very few ingredients. The only tricky part was combining the sugar and cream mixtures. Ina says, “Be careful – it will bubble up violently.” Aaaand she was right. This is why it is SO IMPORTANT to use a deep saucepan and to pour slowly. Otherwise you’ll end up with sticky, molten hot goo all over your stove top.

Fleur de Sel Caramels
Adapted from Ina Garten, Back to Basics

Ingredients

Vegetable Oil
1 ½ cups Sugar
¼ cup Light corn syrup
1 cup Heavy cream
5 tablespoons Unsalted butter
1 teaspoon Fine fleur de sel, plus extra for sprinkling
½ teaspoon Pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing it to drape over 2 sides, then brush lightly with oil.
2. In a deep saucepan (at least 6 inches wide by 4 inches deep), combine ¼ cup water, the sugar, and corn syrup and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until the mixture is a warm golden brown. Don’t stir – just swirl the pan. Watch the mixture carefully, it can burn quickly!

3. In the meantime, in a small pot bring the cream, butter, and 1 teaspoon of fleur de sel to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat and set aside.
4. When the sugar mixture is done, turn off the heat and slowly add the cream mixture to the sugar mixture. Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon and cook over medium-low heat for about 10-15 minutes, until the mixture reaches firm ball (248 degrees) on a candy thermometer. Make sure the thermometer isn't touching the bottom of the pan, otherwise your reading will be off. It should be about 2 inches into the mixture. Very carefully (LAVA!!) pour the caramel into the prepared pan and refrigerate for an hour or two, until firm.
5. When the caramel is cold, pry the sheet from the pan onto a cutting board. My caramel was pretty hard, so I had to let it sit at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes.
6. Cut the square in half. If the knife is sticking as you cut, lightly brush the blade with a small amount of vegetable oil. Starting with the long side, roll up one piece of the caramel tightly into an 8-inch-long log. Repeat with the second piece.

7. Sprinkle both logs with fleur de sel. If the salt isn’t sticking well, sprinkle the salt onto the cutting board, and press the log down on top of it. Trim the ends, and cut 1 ½ - 2-inch pieces. Since the caramels are super chewy, you may want to make them smaller. Fillings are valuable.
8. Cut squares of parchment paper into 4 x 5-inch squares and wrap each caramel individually, twisting the ends. Store in the refrigerator. Ina says to serve them chilled, but I waited until they reached room temperature so they were easier to eat.

I gave these out to friends, family, and coworkers as belated Valentine’s Day treats, and everyone loved them. They’d also make a perfect hostess gift in a clear bag with pretty ribbon. I’m definitely going to make these again soon!