There are certain foods that exert an almost narcotic pull, things so tempting that the urge to keep going back for more is nigh on irresistible. For many, it's chocolate. Ican take a lot of chocolate, with great pleasure, but I can also leave it. Caramel, however… caramel hooks me deep and keeps me close.
I don't know who discovered that seriously burning sugar was a good idea, but I take my hat off to them. Transforming snow-white sugar into a glistening, dark brown lava that sets hard as glass pretty much reinvents it as an ingredient. It no longer delivers mere neutral sweetness; it acquires a sophisticated range of aromatic and bitter notes that include leather, vanilla, tobacco and coffee. You can then introduce your caramel to all kinds of other ingredients – cream, nuts, citrus fruits, to name but three classics – and take the blending of sophisticates to a new level.
If you've never made caramel, dogive it a go. This golden-brown temptress has a reputation for being difficult, and I won't deny you need bottle to approach her for the first time, but the process is very simple. Caramelisation is the point at which molten sugar gets so hot that its molecules begin to break down. Toquote the brilliant Harold McGee in On Food & Cooking, "This destruction triggers a remarkable cascade of chemical creation… The more sugar is cooked, the less sugar and sweetness remain, and the darker and more bitter it gets." Take it all the way to black, however, and it becomes horribly bitter.
Catching caramel at the point ofperfection, when sweetness, bitterness and those rich aromas are in exquisite balance, comes down toconfidence. The more you make caramel, the better you'll get at it. Even experienced cooks (myself included) have the occasional nightmare when the molten sugar gathers into claggy lumps, or when amoment's inattention results in something black and inedible. But, apart from having to clean the pan and start again, it's no big deal. Caramel, despite its luxurious flavour and classy looks, is not only quick, but cheap as chips (strictly speaking, cheap as sugar) to make.
As a rule, I prefer golden sugar towhite because it is less refined. However, if you're making a "wet" caramel, golden sugar can make it hard to judge the shade. Some chefs also say that the natural impurities in golden sugars mean they don't caramelise cleanly. I have found that to be the case with one or two brands – they can produce a curious, opaque caramel – but I've found others to work very well. You might, for your first foray, prefer to use a white sugar, but as soon as your confidence is up, there's no reason not to switch to a golden variety. Caramel can be made with caster or granulated sugar. At a push, I prefer caster, because I find it melts more easily.
A word of warning: molten caramel is extremely hot – the sugar starts to brown at around 170C. So, in order to avoid very nasty burns, never touch or taste it until it has cooled right down. Once it has, you'll be unable to resist it, or whatever delicious dish you have conjured from it.
Basic caramel
This is for a "dry" caramel, produced by simply melting sugar. It's quick to make, if a touch scary asyou wait for the sugar granules to melt smoothly. If you're feeling nervous, you can make a "wet" caramel by adding two tablespoons of water at the start, dissolving the sugar over a low heat, then boiling until golden brown. You get the same end result, but it takes longer and the bubbling syrup makes it a bit harder to judge the colour.
100g caster or granulated sugar
Choose a good, heavy-based saucepan or small frying pan – thin, tinny pans conduct heat unevenly. You also want a pan with a reasonably wide base, so the sugar is in a thin layer, which helps it melt quickly and evenly. A stainless-steel pan is better than a dark-based one, so you can see the colour of the caramel.
Tip the sugar into the pan, shake gently to spread it evenly and put on a medium-low heat. After a couple of minutes, the sugar will start to melt at the edges. Shake and swirl it gently as it starts to liquefy and brown. (You can stir it, but be restrained – stirring can cause it to recrystallise.) By the time all the sugar has melted, some of it will be quite brown. Cook for a minute or so more, swirling the pan gently, until the syrup has turned a rich, caramel colour – dark golden brown with a reddish tint. Hold your nerve and let it cook fully – underdone caramel is pale, sickly-sweet and bland. When it's ready, use your caramel at once – if left in the pan, even off the heat, it will carry on cooking and then set.
Crème caramel with a hint of orange
This is a classic pud, creamy and sweet with a lovely whisper of bitterness from the caramel. It's usually flavoured with vanilla alone, but I love the soft warmth you get from orange zest. Serves six.
1 quantity basic caramel
3 large eggs, plus 2 yolks
50g caster sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 large orange
½ vanilla pod (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
500ml whole milk
Heat the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2 and have ready a soufflé dish or similar smallish, deep oven dish of around one-litre capacity. Make the caramel as before. When it's the right colour, remove from the heat and carefully add two tablespoons of hot water. Take care: the caramel will boil and steam ferociously. It will also form clumps, but don't panic: keep stirring until it is smooth again, then pour into the dish. Turn the dish so the caramel comes a little way up the sides, then leave to set.
Put all the eggs, sugar and orange zest in a bowl, add the seeds scraped out from the vanilla pod (or extract), and whisk. Put the milk in a pan with the scraped-out vanilla pod (if using), bring to just below boiling, then pour on to the egg mixture and whisk. Strain the resulting custard over the set caramel.
Put the dish into a roasting tin and pour in boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the tin. Bake for 45 minutes, until the custard is just set with a bit of a wobble (the time can vary depending on the dimensions of your dish, so check early). Remove from the tin, leave to cool, then refrigerate for at least a few hours and up to two days.
To serve, run the tip of a sharp knife around the rim of the custard, to release it. Place a deep plate on top (there'll be lots of liquid caramel waiting to flood out), invert and the caramel will flop on to the plate. Pour/scrape any caramel out of the dish and over the pud, and serve.
Salted walnut praline
Delicious in chunky bits scattered over ice-cream or any creamy pud, especially if there's some fruit involved, such as roast peaches or fresh raspberries. Alternatively, blitz and add to homemade chocolate truffles. Change the nuts, if you fancy – blanched almonds and skinned hazelnuts also work well.
1 quantity basic caramel
50g walnut halves, roughly broken up
½ teaspoon flaky sea salt
Line a baking sheet with parchment. Make the caramel as above and, when it reaches the right colour, stir in the nuts and tip in a sticky lump on to the parchment. Spread out as best you can, sprinkle over the salt and leave to set. Break into small pieces with a blunt object such as a rolling pin and store in an airtight container.
Caramel sauce
Irresistible just as it comes, though you can add an unusual and delicious twist ifyou stir in a pinch of ground cumin. Use on ice-cream and in sundaes, fruity puddings or pancakes. Makes about 300ml.
Basic caramel made with 150g sugar
50g unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces
150ml double cream, ideally not fridge-cold
A good pinch of salt
Have your ingredients measured out. Prepare the caramel as before. When it reaches the right colour, remove from the heat, add the butter and let it melt – be careful, as the caramel will bubble and steam. Gently stir the melted butter into the caramel – don't worry if it doesn't seem to amalgamate fully at this stage. Now, working quickly but in a controlled fashion, add the cream bit by bit, stirring in each addition before adding the next, and adding the salt about halfway through, until you have a smooth, velvety sauce. There may be a few sticky bits lurking at the edges of the pan but, if your caramel was smooth to start with and you work quickly, you shouldn't get any crystallised lumps. If this happens, put the sauce on a gentle heat and stir to dissolve them as far as possible, then pass through a sieve. Serve warm or at room temperature. It will keep for a week in the fridge, and can be gently reheated.
