2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups cream (1 pint)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Line an 8 inch square baking pan with parchment and spray with cooking spray. Pour cream into a 2 cup liquid measuring cup. Have a heatproof spatula, a wooden spoon, and an instant read probe or candy thermometer standing by.
Add sugar, water, and salt to a very heavy duty large saucepan. (I recommend a tri-ply clad saucepan.) Stir with a fork to moisten all the sugar, then discard that fork and add a lid to the pot. Place over high heat and bring to a full rolling boil. Remove the lid and swirl occasionally until the caramel becomes deep golden brown with hints of red (I call this "foxy brown.") In between swirling, microwave the cream for 2 minutes.
Once the sugar reaches the "foxy brown" color, turn of the heat and slowly drizzle in the cream while stirring constantly with the wooden spoon. The caramel will bubble up a lot. Stir in the vanilla.
Turn the heat back to medium and keep stirring constantly. Clip on the candy thermometer, or hold the probe thermometer in the caramel as you stir, until the caramel reaches 250F. (Subtract 2 degrees for every 1000 feet above sea level if you're at a higher altitude.)
Immediately scrape the carmel into the parchment lined pan and let cool until set.
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