Salted Caramels

  Posted on October 7, 2011  by Leslie Blythe  No comments

A Holiday Gift

Michael Laiskonis, executive pastry chef at New York City’s Le Bernardin, gave us the recipe for these caramel candies. Be sure to wrap them individually in wax paper to store them. These make a great hostess gift.

Salted Caramels

Makes about 50

1¾ cups heavy cream
¾ cup glucose or light corn syrup
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
1¾ cups sugar
Fleur de sel, to garnish

Combine and heat cream, glucose, salt, and vanilla seeds in a 4 quart saucepan over medium heat until mixture begins to simmer; remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Line bottom and sides of an 8″ square baking pan with parchment paper; set aside.

Stir together sugar and 3/4 cups water in a 2-qt. saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat, without stirring, until the mixture turns a medium-dark amber color and a candy thermometer reads 370º. Remove pan from heat; slowly pour cream mixture into caramel. Return saucepan to medium heat; stir until caramel dissolves. Transfer mixture to a 4-qt. saucepan and cook, without stirring, until candy thermometer reads 246º. Pour mixture into prepared pan; smooth top. Let cool completely; then cut into 1″ squares. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and wrap individually in wax paper squares. Store at room temperature.