The Hero Recipe – Salted Caramel Sauce

This is a basic salted caramel sauce – and the only one you’ll ever need for serving with desserts and pouring or drizzling over ice-cream, sundaes, pancakes, waffles, crêpes, French toast, cookies and crumbles.

SERVES – Makes 250g

TOTAL TIME – 23 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

200g of sugar

120ml of water

100g of salted butter, at room temperature, diced

120ml of double cream, at room temperature

1 tsp of sea salt flakes

METHOD

1. Put the sugar and water in a wide heavy-based saucepan (not a non-stick pan) and set over a low heat. Tilt the pan so the water covers and dampens the sugar.
2. Watch the pan carefully as the sugar melts, stirring occasionally, then turn up the heat and boil for about 10 minutes, or until it starts to brown before turning a golden amber in colour. As soon as this happens, remove the pan from the heat. Do this immediately or the caramel will catch and burn. You want it to be as dark as possible without it burning.
3. Add the butter and whisk in (this is best done with an electric hand-held whisk if you have one) until it melts into the caramel. If it separates, just keep whisking – it will come back together.
4. Gradually stir in the cream, then the sea salt. If you’re not using the sauce immediately, set aside to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a screw-top jar. It will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
5. To rewarm the sauce, stand the jar of sauce in a pan of hot water or reheat in the microwave.

No-Bake Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart

This no-bake tart is so easy to make, and the actual hands-on time is minimal. However, it does need chilling between the different stages, so allow time for this before you start cooking.

SERVES – 10

TOTAL TIME – 36 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

250g of chocolate bourbon biscuits (or Oreos)

100g of butter

250g of salted caramel sauce

100ml of double cream

150g of dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken into squares

Sea salt flakes, for sprinkling

METHOD

1. Blitz the biscuits to crumbs in a food processor, or place in a zip-lock bag and bash them with a rolling pin.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan set over a low heat. Stir in the biscuit crumbs until well combined. Use to cover the base and sides of a 20cm fluted loose-bottomed tart tin.
3. Pour the salted caramel sauce into the tart case. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or until it firms up and sets.
4. Put the cream in a saucepan set over a medium heat and bring to the boil. As soon as it boils, turn off the heat and add the chocolate. Leave until the chocolate melts, stirring occasionally, and then whisk until smooth and glossy.
5. Spoon over the top of the salted caramel and sprinkle with sea salt flakes. Chill in the fridge for two hours, or until set. Serve cut into slices.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Mocha Pots

The flavour combo of salted caramel,chocolate and coffee is heavenly, so we’veused it in these little pots. You can makethem well in advance and just chill them inthe fridge until you’re ready to serve.

SERVES – 4

TOTAL TIME – 2 Hours and 15 Minutes (Prep 10 Minutes, Cook 5 Minutes, Chill 2 Hours)

INGREDIENTS

85g (3oz/scant ½ cup) Salted Caramel Sauce (see page 14)

180ml (6fl oz/¾ cup) double (heavy) cream

1 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar 115g (4oz) dark (bittersweet)

chocolate (70% cocoa solids), cut into squares

1 tsp strong instant coffee toffee popcorn and shaved dark

(bittersweet) chocolate, to decorate

METHOD

1. Heat the salted caramel sauce in apan set over a low heat or use amicrowave. Pour into fourramekins or espresso cups.
2. Put 120ml (4fl oz/½ cup) creamand the sugar in a small pan set over a low–medium heat and stiruntil the sugar dissolves. Simmer for 2 minutes without boiling, thenremove from the heat.
3. Add the chocolate and instantcoffee and leave until the chocolate melts, stirringoccasionally. Whisk until themixture is smooth and glossy,then spoon over the top of thesalted caramel. Chill in the fridgefor 2 hours, or until set.
4. Just before serving, whip theremaining cream until it standsin soft peaks and use to top thechocolate mocha pots. Decorate with toffee popcorn andchocolate shavings.

Salted Caramel Espresso Martini

You don’t have to go out for a cocktail when you can make this at home. All you need is a cocktail shaker, some ice and a couple of martini glasses to recreate the real thing. You could even serve it to guests as a dessert when you don’t have time to make one.

SERVES – 2

TOTAL TIME – 9 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

100ml of freshly brewed espresso coffee

2 tbsp of salted caramel sauce

Ice cubes

50ml of coffee liqueur, e.g. Kahlua

100ml of vodka

6 coffee beans, to decorate

METHOD

1. Make the espresso and gently stir in the salted caramel until blended and the coffee is smooth. Leave to cool to room temperature.
2. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway up with ice cubes and add the coffee, liqueur and vodka. Screw on the lid and shake until well combined.
3. Double-strain into two chilled martini glasses and decorate with coffee beans. Serve immediately.

Recipes are from The Salted Caramel Cookbook by Heather Thomas (HarperCollins Publishers 2022), reproduced with permission of HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty Ltd. Available in bookstores from 30 November 2022.