salted caramels

By pdav

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups heavy cream
• 3/4 cup glucose or light corn syrup
• 1 tsp. fine sea salt
• 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• Fleur de sel, to garnish

Preparation

Step 1

Combine and heat cream, glucose, salt, and vanilla seeds in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium heat until mixture begins to simmer; remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Line bottom and sides of an 8″ square baking pan with parchment paper; set aside.

Stir together sugar and 3/4 cups water in a 2-qt. saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat, without stirring, until the mixture turns a medium-dark amber color and a candy thermometer reads 370º. Remove pan from heat; slowly pour cream mixture into caramel. Return saucepan to medium heat; stir until caramel dissolves. Transfer mixture to a 4-qt. saucepan and cook, without stirring, until candy thermometer reads 246º. Pour mixture into prepared pan; smooth top. Let cool completely; then cut into 1″ squares. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and wrap individually in wax paper squares. Store at room temperature.


This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #135