4 Tasty Ways With Salted Caramel
Salted caramel is versatile, easy to make and – best of all – delicious. In her new cookbook, chef Heather Thomas shares the only recipe you’ll ever need for making the ultimate salted caramel sauce, along with some ideas for indulgent breakfasts, drinks and snacks. Here she talks us through her favourite ways to use it – from a twist on an espresso martini to a no-bake tart that will impress your guests.
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The Hero Recipe
Salted Caramel Sauce
This is a basic salted caramel sauce – and the only one you’ll ever need for serving with desserts and pouring or drizzling over ice-cream, sundaes, pancakes, waffles, crêpes, French toast, cookies and crumbles.
Serves
Makes 250g
Total Time
23 Minutes
Ingredients
Ingredients
200g of sugar
120ml of water
100g of salted butter, at room temperature, diced
120ml of double cream, at room temperature
1 tsp of sea salt flakes
Method
Step 1
Put the sugar and water in a wide heavy-based saucepan (not a non-stick pan) and set over a low heat. Tilt the pan so the water covers and dampens the sugar.
Step 2
Watch the pan carefully as the sugar melts, stirring occasionally, then turn up the heat and boil for about 10 minutes, or until it starts to brown before turning a golden amber in colour. As soon as this happens, remove the pan from the heat. Do this immediately or the caramel will catch and burn. You want it to be as dark as possible without it burning.
Step 3
Add the butter and whisk in (this is best done with an electric hand-held whisk if you have one) until it melts into the caramel. If it separates, just keep whisking – it will come back together.
Step 4
Gradually stir in the cream, then the sea salt. If you’re not using the sauce immediately, set aside to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a screw-top jar. It will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
Step 5
To rewarm the sauce, stand the jar of sauce in a pan of hot water or reheat in the microwave.
Made a batch of sauce? Here are three great recipes to use it in…
Salted Caramel Espresso Martini
You don’t have to go out for a cocktail when you can make this at home. All you need is a cocktail shaker, some ice and a couple of martini glasses to recreate the real thing. You could even serve it to guests as a dessert when you don’t have time to make one.
Serves
Serves 2
Total Time
9 Minutes
Meal Type
Drink
Ingredients
Ingredients
100ml of freshly brewed espresso coffee
2 tbsp of salted caramel sauce
Ice cubes
50ml of coffee liqueur, e.g. Kahlua
100ml of vodka
6 coffee beans, to decorate
Method
Step 1
Make the espresso and gently stir in the salted caramel until blended and the coffee is smooth. Leave to cool to room temperature.
Step 2
Fill a cocktail shaker halfway up with ice cubes and add the coffee, liqueur and vodka. Screw on the lid and shake until well combined.
Step 3
Double-strain into two chilled martini glasses and decorate with coffee beans. Serve immediately.
Salted Caramel Semifreddo
This indulgent Italian-style ice-cream dessert is simple to make and keeps well in the freezer for at least a month. It’s swirled with salted caramel sauce and served topped with crunchy almond praline shards.
Serves
Serves 8
Total Time
33 Minutes
Ingredients
Ingredients
4 large free-range eggs, separated
100g of caster sugar
1 tsp of vanilla extract
300ml of double cream
6 tbsp of salted caramel sauce, plus extra for drizzling
For the almond praline:
Oil, for greasing
100g of caster sugar
50g of toasted whole blanched almonds
Method
Step 1
Lightly oil a 1 litre loaf tin and then line with cling film.
Step 2
Put the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and beat with a hand-held electric whisk until thick and it leaves a trail when you lift the beaters.
Step 3
Beat the egg whites in a clean dry bowl until they form stiff peaks. In a separate bowl, beat the cream until it holds its shape and forms soft peaks.
Step 4
Gently fold the whipped cream into the egg yolk mixture and then fold in the egg whites with a metal spoon in a figure-of-eight motion. Gently swirl the salted caramel throughout the mixture and transfer to the lined loaf tin. Level the top and then cover with cling film and freeze for six hours or until solid.
Step 5
Meanwhile, make the almond praline: line a baking tray with kitchen foil and brush lightly with oil.
Step 6
Put the sugar in a heavy-based saucepan set over a low heat. Watch carefully and swirl the pan occasionally until the sugar melts. As soon as it darkens to a deep amber and starts to caramelize, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the almonds. Spoon onto the lined baking tray and leave to cool and set hard, then smash into shards.
Step 7
When you’re ready to serve, remove the semifreddo from the freezer and unwrap. Turn it out onto a serving plate and top with the praline shards. Cut into slices and serve drizzled with salted caramel sauce
No-Bake Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart
This no-bake tart is so easy to make, and the actual hands-on time is minimal. However, it does need chilling between the different stages, so allow time for this before you start cooking.
Serves
Serves 10
Total Time
36 Minutes
Ingredients
Ingredients
250g of chocolate bourbon biscuits (or Oreos)
100g of butter
250g of salted caramel sauce
100ml of double cream
150g of dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken into squares
Sea salt flakes, for sprinkling
Method
Step 1
Blitz the biscuits to crumbs in a food processor, or place in a zip-lock bag and bash them with a rolling pin.
Step 2
Melt the butter in a saucepan set over a low heat. Stir in the biscuit crumbs until well combined. Use to cover the base and sides of a 20cm fluted loose-bottomed tart tin.
Step 3
Pour the salted caramel sauce into the tart case. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or until it firms up and sets.
Step 4
Put the cream in a saucepan set over a medium heat and bring to the boil. As soon as it boils, turn off the heat and add the chocolate. Leave until the chocolate melts, stirring occasionally, and then whisk until smooth and glossy.
Step 5
Spoon over the top of the salted caramel and sprinkle with sea salt flakes. Chill in the fridge for two hours, or until set. Serve cut into slices.
For more salted caramel recipes, order Heather Thomas’s new book here.
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