Diana's Desserts - www.dianasdesserts.com
http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/recipes.recipeListing/filter/dianas/recipeID/3769/Recipe.cfm

Caramel Sauce

Comments:
Use this yummy sauce to top your favorite ice-cream or spoon it over slices of pound cake, cheesecake or apple pie. The uses for caramel sauce are endless!

Note of Caution
Be extra careful while you are cooking the sugar, as with any candy making process. Once the sugar has melted it has a much higher temperature than boiling water. Also, when you add the cream, the mixture will foam up, so use a pan with high sides.

Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions:
1. Before you begin, make sure you have everything ready to go - the cream and the butter next to the pan, ready to put in. Making caramel is a fast process that cannot wait for hunting around for ingredients. If you don't work fast, the sugar will burn.

2. Heat sugar on high heat in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart or 3-quart saucepan. As the sugar begins to melt, stir constantly with a whisk.

3. As soon as all of the sugar crystals have melted (the liquid sugar should be dark amber in color), immediately add the butter to the pan. Continue to whisk vigorously until the butter has melted.

4. Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat. Add the cream to the pan and continue to whisk to incorporate. Note than when you add the butter and the cream, the mixture will foam up considerably. This is why you must use a pan that is at least 2-quarts (preferably 3-quarts) big.

5. Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then pour into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool to room temperature. (Remember to use pot holders when handling the jar filled with hot caramel sauce.) Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Warm before serving.

Date: December 7, 2006