Caramel Sauce with Grand Marnier, Flan Style
Making my own caramel sauce is something I was at all times afraid to do. I heard horror stories about burning the sugar, which I did the first time! I finally decided to conquer my fear of making caramel sauce, and that I was so excited to see that it is really not that hard to do.
This particular recipes yields a thinner caramel sauce– much like what you would find in a “Flan” custard dessert. Unlike the kind of caramel sauce you might pour over ice cream, butter and heavy cream is not added. I used this recipe for a Panna Cota (“Cooked Milk” dessert– and that I even added some Grand Marnier to kick the flavour up a notch. Once I refrigerated the sauce, it thickened magnificently. I used the rest to flavor a vanilla buttercream frosting into a beautiful caramel frosting.
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup water OR
- 1/4 cup water and
- 3 tablespoons water (or Grand marnier or bourbon)
Details
Servings 1
Preparation time 5mins
Cooking time 10mins
Adapted from foodiewife-kitchen.blogspot.com
Preparation
Equipment needed:
Heavy skillet or a thick bottomed pan
Whisk
NOTE: Be sure to have all your ingredients ready before First, before you begin, ensure you have everything ready to go – the water and the alcohol (if using) next to the pan, ready to put in. Making caramel is a fast process that can’t wait for hunting around for ingredients. If you do not work fast, the sugar will burn. Safety first – ensure there are not any kids under foot and you may want to wear oven mitts; the caramelized sugar will be much hotter than boiling water.
In a heavy skillet, and place over medium-high heat, spread the sugar evenly.
As the sugar begins to melt, stir vigorously with a whisk or wooden spoon. As soon as the sugar comes to a boil, stop stirring. You can swirl the pan a bit if you want, from this point on. Note that this recipe works best if you’re using a thick-bottomed pan.
The sugar should turn to a dark amber–about 2-3 minutes.
Very carefully, stir in 1/2 cup warm water (I used 1/4 cup water and 3 Tbsp. of Grand Marnier) and bourbon. It will bubble, but do not panic! Stir until combined, and remove from heat to cool to room temperature.
The sauce will be a really thin consistency. This is ideal for serving with a panna cota. If you refrigerate this sauce, it will thicken and is ideal for flavoring a vanilla butter cream or looks very pretty drizzled over a piece of cheesecake, ice cream or frosted cupcakes.