Salted Caramel

I’ve been looking for a European salted caramel recipe for a while now, but all seem to be from the other side of the ocean, so it was with excitement that I discovered Rachel Khoo’s version in her book. It was also with excitement that I thought I might be able to pull it off. I’m not good with sugar … many a time has it crystallised or stuck to the pan, but this one looked simple and clear, and I noted that it also kept in the fridge for up to two months, so I could use it in my mini caramel lattes as and when! (Or dollop a spoonful over ice cream if the need arose!)

It’s a case of combining 150g caster sugar melted in a pan until dark golden, then adding 150ml of double cream and a tsp of salt (in future I’d add a little more salt) whilst remembering NOT to stir the caramel, but to swirl the pan instead. You then leave it to bubble for a few minutes and pour into sterilised jars. This I did, and it looked and tasted good.It was only when I came to use it the next day, and couldn’t remove any of it from the jar, that I wished I’d bubbled it for considerably less time after adding the cream. Rookie error, but one I make regularly when attempting plum jelly, often ending up with a very stiff paste.

So what can I do with the caramel, or should I say toffee? I’m going to have to heat the jar to loosen it, then use immediately I think: ice cream for 20?