Published: October 17, 2006 02:46 pm      

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Recipes for sweet caramel satisfaction

BEST CARAMEL SAUCE

1 cup sugar

pinch of salt

one-third cup water

1 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla

Combine sugar, salt and water in a small, deep, heavy saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Place over medium-high heat and stir to dissolve sugar. Quit stirring when sugar is dissolved.

Cover the pan and simmer two or three minutes. Uncover the pan and let the mixture boil vigorously, swirling the pan gently from time to time to distribute the heated liquid evenly. When it is a light caramel brown, remove from heat and continue to swirl gently - it should darken a little more.

Set the pan on a heat-resistant surface and add cream - the mixture will sputter vigorously and boil up. Stir with a long-handled spoon in one direction, which should help mix the cream evenly into the caramel. If lumps form, set the mixture over low heat and stir occasionally to dissolve the caramel. Cool and stir in vanilla.

Makes about 1 and one-half cups.

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PUMPKIN PUDDING WITH CARAMEL SAUCE

15 ounces canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

3 eggs

2 cups buttermilk

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

one-half teaspoon baking soda

one-half teaspoon salt

one-half teaspoon ground cinnamon

one-half teaspoon ground allspice

one-fourth teaspoon ground nutmeg

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 2-quart souffle dish, or similar size baking dish.

In a large bowl, beat pumpkin puree with eggs until just blended. Add buttermilk, butter and sugar, and beat to mix. Add remaining ingredients and mix until just combined. Scrape the batter into the pan and bake until the mixture browns on top and doesn’t jiggle when shaken, about an hour. Cool on a rack (the pudding will sink a little). Serve with best caramel sauce.

Serves eight.

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CARAMEL ICE CREAM

When you blend caramel, cream and egg yolks, you get a mixture as thick as traditional custard, which makes it difficult to tell when the egg yolks have actually reached a safe temperature. Best to use a thermometer and bring the mixture to 165 degrees.

1 cup sugar

pinch salt

one-third cup water

1 and one-half cups whipping cream

5 egg yolks

2 cups whole milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

Combine sugar, salt and water in a small, deep, heavy saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Place over medium-high heat and stir to dissolve sugar. Quit stirring when sugar is dissolved.

Cover the pan and simmer three minutes. Uncover the pan and let the mixture boil vigorously, swirling the pan gently from time to time to distribute the heated liquid evenly. When it is a light caramel brown, remove from heat and continue to swirl gently - it should darken a little more.

Set the pan on a heat-resistant surface and add cream - the mixture will sputter vigorously and boil up. Stir with a long-handled spoon in one direction, which should help mix the cream evenly into the caramel. If lumps form, set the mixture over low heat and stir occasionally to dissolve the caramel.

Beat egg yolks in a large bowl. Gradually add caramel, beating constantly as you do. Return custard to saucepan, add 1 cup of milk and stir often as you cook it over medium-low heat until the mixture reaches about 165 degrees. Remove from heat and set aside, stirring the first few minutes.

Strain through a fine-meshed sieve into the remaining cup of milk. Stir in vanilla. Refrigerate until totally chilled before freezing in an ice cream freezer according to manufacturer’s directions.

Makes about 1 quart.

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CHOCOLATE CARAMEL NUT TART

For the crust:

1 and one-third cups flour

one-half teaspoon salt

one-half cup butter

1 egg

For the filling:

1 and one-half cups pecans, walnuts or a blend

1 and one-half cups granulated sugar

two-third cup whipping cream

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

For the chocolate glaze:

2 ounces milk chocolate chips, about one-half cup

one-fourth cup whipping cream

To make crust: Combine dry ingredients in a food processor or bowl. Cut butter into tablespoons and add to flour. (If using a pastry blender, cut butter into bits the size of lentils.) Add egg and 1 and one-half tablespoons water. Process until mixture holds together (no more than 20 seconds). Flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic and chill 30 minutes. Roll to fit 10-inch pastry pan with removable bottom. Trim excess. Prick the bottom several times with a fork.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line pastry shell with aluminum foil, wrapping excess foil out over edges so shell is covered. Place pie weights or dried beans in pan. Bake 20 minutes. Carefully remove weights and foil and continue baking shell until golden, five minutes or so.

Transfer to wire rack and let stand until cool. Use immediately or store, wrapped airtight, up to 24 hours.

To make filling: Put nuts on a pie plate and place in oven for five minutes, or until lightly toasted. Remove and turn oven off.

In a medium-size heavy saucepan combine sugar with one-fourth cup water. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Cover and simmer three minutes.

Uncover the pan and let the mixture boil vigorously, swirling the pan gently from time to time to distribute the heated liquid evenly. When it is a light caramel brown, remove from heat and continue to swirl gently - it should darken a little more.

Set the pan on a heat-resistant surface and add cream - the mixture will sputter vigorously and boil up. Stir with a long-handled spoon in one direction, which should help mix the cream evenly into the caramel. If lumps form, set the mixture over low heat and stir occasionally to dissolve the caramel lumps.

Return mixture to burner and stir until it turns a caramel color and almost reaches the softball stage (two or three more minutes) or cook until thermometer registers between 234 and 235 degrees (about five minutes). The mixture should form a soft ball when you drop it in a little ice water (it should be firm enough to pick up with your fingers and form into a little ball).

Remove pan from heat, add butter and stir until melted and fully incorporated. Stir in vanilla. Pour caramel into pie crust and refrigerate. When cool, press nuts into caramel.

To make glaze:

Combine chocolate and cream in microwave-safe bowl or saucepan and heat with low heat, stirring often, until combined. Drizzle over tart and refrigerate.

Serves eight.