Caramel is a staple in many dessert recipes: this video shows how to make dry caramel, wet caramel and caramel sauce! Find this and many more recipes with pictures on the Giallozafferano App (in English) http://itunes.apple.com/app/giallozafferano-recipes/id384387249?mt=8
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The caramel is sugar that’s been heated until browned. Today we’ll see how to make dry caramel, wet caramel and caramel sauce… let’s go!
Caramel
For the dry caramel
• granulated sugar, as needed
For the wet caramel
• 1 ¾ cups (350 g) of granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup (150 ml) of water
For the caramel sauce
• 2/3 cup (150 ml) of water
• 2/3 cup (150 ml) of hot water
• 1 ¾ cups (350 g) of granulated sugar
Let’s start with the dry caramel, that is, without water: we’ll heat the granulated sugar by itself, using a heavy-based pan, like this. Add one tablespoon of sugar at a time on a low-medium flame: don’t add the next spoonful of sugar until the previous one has dissolved, otherwise use a wide heavy saucepan and add all the sugar at once. You don’t want a thick layer of sugar, or it will turn grainy. So, as the sugar dissolves, add more a little at a time, until it’s an even caramel. Don’t stir with a spoon, as you go along, just shake the pan a little, but don’t touch it with a ladle or spoon. As you can see, the first spoonful of sugar has dissolved, so we can add more sugar… shake the pan to coat the bottom evenly and wait until it dissolves. You can tilt the pan, but don’t touch the caramel with any tool. Continue until the sugar is used up.
As you can see, the caramel is ready; when it reaches your desired colour, in this case a dark brown colour, place the pan in a bath of ice and water, to stop the cooking and keep the caramel from burning. Remember that a heavy pan bottom retains the heat even when you take it off the stove, causing the caramel to burn. So remove the pan from the heat and place in iced water so as to stop the cooking process.
Remove the pan from the iced water after 1 or 2 seconds, or the sugar will crystallize immediately. If that happens, return the pan to a very low heat until melted again, taking care it doesn’t burn. When the caramel is the right consistency, you can make decorations on a piece of parchment paper, creating any design you wish, like this for example; once hardened, you can use it as a garnish on top of cakes or parfaits, but remember that sugar is a hygroscopic substance, that absorbs moisture, so it won’t last long, an hour at the most. Besides, this caramel can be used to line moulds for crème caramel, for example.
Now we’ll make the wet caramel, that is made from sugar and water, so take a heavy saucepan, add the sugar… and 2/3 cup (150 ml) of water, for 1 ¾ cups (350 g) of sugar in this case… as you can see, the water covers the sugar entirely. Now turn on the heat to medium and stir, this time with a stainless steel spoon, until the sugar has dissolved completely, after that let it cook without stirring, just hold the pan by the handles and shake gently.
Here we are, the sugar has dissolved completely, so remove the spoon and don’t stir again; you can swirl the pan gently, in this way… and allow the water to evaporate. When the water has evaporated, the caramel will start to colour, as the sugar is actually burning, so we’ll get different textures and colours. If any sugar crystals stick to the side of the pan, you can use a damp pastry brush to push them down, in this way. Now we just have to wait.
We’re reaching the light amber stage: when the caramel is between 312°F (156°C) and 329°F (165°C) degrees, it becomes golden brown in colour; when it’s between 330°F (166°C) and 347°F (175°C) degrees, it becomes dark brown. Don’t exceed 347°F (175°C) degrees or your caramel will burn and taste bitter.
When the caramel reaches your desired colour, you can make a caramel sauce, that won’t harden, so remove the caramel from the heat and add 2/3 cup (150 ml) of hot water, in this case; be careful, because it will splatter. Stir with a stainless steel sauce whisk… and let it cool. The longer the caramel sauce cools, the thicker it will be, but still fluid. You can serve this sauce with a spoon dessert, a crème caramel, or even a slice of cake.
So, here’s how the caramel is made: this is a light brown caramel and this is a dark brown caramel. With these types of caramel, you can make sugar decorations to use for garnish; when water is added to this caramel, it forms a thin caramel sauce, that can be placed in an airtight jar, like this, and stored in a dark, dry place, for up to months. You can use caramel sauce as a topping for spoon desserts, crème caramels or cakes. From Sonia and Giallozafferano, bye bye and see you next videorecipe!