Salted Caramels and Candy Thermometers

I've been meaning to purchase a candy thermometor for almost a year now. But the past three times I've come across one, I pick it up, lug it around while I peruse the store, bring it the register, and finally have a change of heart. My exchange with the cashier typically goes something like this:

"Ah, I'm sorry, but, um, I won't be getting the thermometer this time."

"Okay...How about those Sour Straws*?" he asks.

"Oh, these? Of course. Just the Sour Straws."

You see, in my adventure of moving across the country and leaving behind the glamorous and equally material life of an investment banker, I made a conscious effort to downsize and de-clutter. I ended up donating or throwing away three quarters of my life when I left the east coast. [Imagine the TV show "Hoarders"...in reverse.] Sometimes I can feel myself starting to acquire, acquire, acquire again and anxiety ensues. Which is why the cashier at Bed, Bath, and Beyond likely thinks I am an indecisive, confused little girl with a Sour Straw dependency. And justifiably so.

Anywho, when I came across this recipe, my lingering fear of unnecessarily cluttering my kitchen was abated. Bonus: You will likely already have all of the required ingredients in your pantry. I hope you enjoy as much as my roommates and I did!

*I love Sour Straws. It's becoming an issue. I think I felt my first cavity forming after a recent binge.

 


Fleur de Sel** Caramels

adapted from Barefoot Contessa: How Easy is That?

Ingredients
Vegetable Oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 c. heavy cream
5 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. fine fleur de sel (or fine sea salt), plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

** Fleur de sel is just the fancy, French way of saying sea salt. It tends to be a little more difficult to find and pricey. I used plain ol' sea salt and my caramels were delicious (ifidosaysomyself).

Directions
Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing it to drape over two sides, then brush the paper lightly with vegetable oil.

In a deep saucepan, combine 1/4 cup water, the sugar, and corn syrup and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until the mixture is a warm golden brown. Don't stir! Just gently swirl the pan. Be sure to watch carefully, as the mixture can burn quickly at the end.

These owls kept a close eye on me while I was baking. Made sure nothing got too crazy. Or burnt. But I digress...

Your mixture should look a little something like this when it's done. I'd say we've achieved "warm golden brown" here.

In the meantime, in a small pot, bring the cream, butter and 1 tsp. of sea salt to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Here's where that handy dandy candy thermometer comes into play. When the sugar mixture is done, turn off the heat, and attach the thermometer to the saucepan. Be sure that the bottom of the thermometer does not touch the bottom of the saucepan. Next, slowly add the cream mixture to the sugar mixture. Combine with care - the mixture will bubble up violently (it's actually sort of exciting to watch!).

Stir in the vanilla and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until the mixture reaches 248 degrees (firm ball) on your candy thermometer.

Very carefully (248 degrees ain't cold!), pour the caramel into the prepared pan and refrigerate for a few hours, until firm. [Baker's note: I actually refrigerated mine overnight, which I do not recommend, as it was quite the bear to cut, even after waiting patiently for FIVE HOURS for the caramel to come to room temperature.]

After you've cooled the caramels pry the sheet from the pan onto a cutting board. 

Cut the square in half. Starting with the long side, roll one piece of the caramel up tightly into an 8-inch log. Repeat with the second piece and sprinkle both logs with sea salt. Trim the ends and cut each log into pieces.  

I don't know about you, but I can only eat so many caramels before I run the risk of losing all the sealants on my teeth (and I don't exactly have dental insurance anymore). So I found this variation equally delicious and significantly less chewy:

Melt a few pieces in a saucepan with a splash of heavy cream. When liquefied, pour over vanilla ice cream.

You can also use this recipe to make caramel popcorn. Once the caramel reaches 248 degrees on your candy thermometer, pour it over 4 quarts of popped popcorn. Toss to combine and pour the popcorn in shallow baking dishes. Bake at 250 degrees for 60 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Once the popcorn is cool, break apart.

This recipe (and the above listed variations) make great gifts. Maybe for that special someone for Valentine's Day? And let's remember...no one is more special than yourself. So no shame and no judgement if this one's just for you.