Caramel and I are not a great love story. To begin with, I never eat it, I don’t like it (you’re probably wondering how that’s possible, eh? :P) But sometimes I need some for a recipe, so I get on with it, but I don’t really enjoy making it… some people manage it “by eye” or do it “grandma-style” and I take my hat off to them. I tried too, a few years ago, but it failed every time (caramel overcooked or even burnt, wrong texture…) so I didn’t persist.
Last year, I rediscovered caramel and, for the first time in my life, I got it right. I was pretty proud. This year, same thing. Same dessert, in fact, same recipe.
So why did I succeed this time, you may ask? I made it with a thermometer. As far as I’m concerned, caramel by guesswork really isn’t my thing (plus, I don’t know about you, but I’m always a bit scared of burning myself).
So this is the salted butter caramel recipe from La pâte de Dom, which I made for the « La poule aux oeufs d’or » entremets, published recently. It’s just perfect, with an ultra-smooth texture.
I know there are plenty of other ways to make a salted butter caramel (I even found a recipe where the butter was added right at the start). If you can do it with your eyes closed, carry on doing it your usual way. But if, like me, you struggle to do it by eye, grab your thermometer, read the recipe carefully and head to the kitchen.
As for me, surprisingly, I dipped my finger into the jar several times. And I even liked it! With fleur de sel and a vanilla pod, it’s simply divine! I used it in another entremets; it’s really super indulgent.
Ingredients & Method
1 component · Full recipe
Smooth salted butter caramel
Ingredients
- 95 g (3.4 oz) caster sugar
- 50 g (1.8 oz) + 100 g (3.5 oz) glucose
- 50 g (1.8 oz) milk
- 1 vanilla pod
- 200 g (7.1 oz) full-fat whipping cream
- 2 g (0.1 oz) fleur de sel
- 70 g (2.5 oz) butter
Method
1
In a small saucepan, heat the cream, milk, the 50 g (1.8 oz) of glucose, the vanilla and the fleur de sel.
2
In a separate saucepan, cook the sugar and the 100 g (3.5 oz) of glucose until it reaches 185°C / 365°F.
3
Deglaze off the heat with the hot cream mixture. Watch out for spattering.
4
Return to the heat and cook, stirring constantly with a spatula, until it reaches 105°C / 221°F. Pass through a sieve if needed.
5
Leave the caramel to cool slightly and once it reaches 70°C / 158°F, add the butter cut into small pieces. Blend with a hand blender and pour into an airtight jar. The caramel can be kept for 2–3 weeks in the fridge once opened.
Gallery
