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Salted butter caramel
Caramel au beurre salé, Brittany's silky salted caramel sauce
Salted butter caramel was made famous by a confectioner in Quiberon in the 1970s, and now every crêperie from Rennes to Brest pours it over sweet crêpes, and every Breton cupboard has a jar for ice cream, apples or simply a spoon. Brittany kept the habit of salted butter long after the rest of France, so the salt is part of the flavour, not a trend. The caramel is cooked dark, loosened with hot cream and finished with butter flecked with sea salt. It keeps for two weeks in the fridge. Chef's tip: warm the cream before adding it; cold cream makes the caramel seize into hard lumps and spit furiously.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 7 oz caster sugar
- 3 tbsp water
- ¾ cup double cream
- 2 ⅛ oz salted buttercubed, ideally Breton with sea-salt crystals
- ½ tsp flaky sea salt
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Warm ¾ cup double cream in a small pan until steaming, then keep it warm off the heat.
3 minStep 2: Put 7 oz caster sugar and 3 tbsp water in a heavy saucepan over a medium heat. Let the sugar dissolve, swirling the pan rather than stirring.
4 minStep 3: Boil without stirring for 6–8 minutes, swirling now and then, until the syrup turns a deep amber, the colour of strong tea, and smells like toffee. Common mistake: stopping when it is pale gold; the sauce will taste only sweet. Taking it too far, until it smokes, makes it bitter, so watch closely at the end.
8 minStep 4: Take the pan off the heat and pour in the warm cream a little at a time, whisking; it will bubble up hard, so stand back.
Step 5: Return to a low heat and whisk for 1 minute until smooth. Off the heat, whisk in 2 ⅛ oz salted butter, then ½ tsp flaky sea salt.
1 minStep 6: Pour into a clean jar. It thickens as it cools. Warm it gently before pouring over crêpes or ice cream.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 25 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does salted butter caramel take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of double cream?
- Whipping cream, same amount (less rich; whips softer).
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