Fleur de Sel Caramels

A couple of nights ago, I made some delicious Fleur de Sel Caramels. (You can learn about Fleur de Sel in my previous post about Haagen-Dasz Caramel Fleur de Sel Ice Cream) The recipe that I used comes form Ina Garten (Food Network's Barefoot Contessa), who is one of my favorite television chefs ebcause she makes stuff I actually want to eat with ingredients I actually want to cook with.  Her Fleur de Sel Caramel recipe is posted below.  (Warning: These are highly addictive and not calorie-friendly. Proceed with caution :P)

Ina Garten's Fleur de Sel Caramels
You can find the original recipe here

Vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon fleur de sel, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Line the bottom of an 8-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper, then brush the paper lightly with oil, allowing the paper to drape over two sides.

2. In a deep saucepan (89 diameter by 4 1/2" deep), stir together 1/4 cup water with the sugar and corn syrup and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue to boil until the mixture is a warm golden brown color. Don't stir — just swirl the pan to mix. Watch carefully, as it will burn quickly at the end!

3. In the meantime, in a small pan, bring the cream, butter, and 1 teaspoon of fleur de sel to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat and set aside.

4. When the sugar mixture is a warm golden color, turn off the heat and slowly add the cream mixture to the sugar mixture. Be careful! It will bubble up violently. Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until the mixture reaches 248°F (firm ball) on a candy thermometer. Very carefully (because it's hot!) pour the caramel into the prepared pan and refrigerate until firm.

5. When the caramels are cold, use the parchment paper to pry the sheet from the pan onto a cutting board. Cut the sheet in half. Starting with the long end, roll the caramel up tightly into a log, then roll out to 12 inches in length. Repeat with the second piece. Sprinkle both logs lightly with fleur de sel, trim the ends, and cut each log in 8 pieces. Cut glassine or parchment papers into squares and wrap each caramel in a paper, twisting the ends. Store in the refrigerator and serve the caramels chilled.

When I made this recipe, I skipped step 5, and instead just removed the caramel from the pan and cut it into small squares using a buttered pizza cutter before sprinkling them with the remaining salt.  This method makes about 48-60 individual caramels.  My co-workers devoured them, and yours probably will, too :)

Comments

[Natasha - 5 Star Foodie]

Sounds great. I love the interplay of salty and sweet flavors!

[X-tina]

I've always wanted to try Ina Garten's food. I usually go with Rachael Ray's stuff because it is quick.

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I've always wanted to try Ina Garten's food