Bravetart's Caramel GF

I was in the need of caramel and did not have any on hand so was in search of a recipe.  My sister in law recommended one from her friend Stella who is a pastry chef and creator of  Bravetart.  So far the caramel is the only thing I have tried of  Bravetart's but it won't be the last.  This was by far the best caramel sauce I have had in my life.  The notes of vanilla bean are a perfect addition. I must warn you it is very addicting.  Once I made it all I could think was "What else can I put this on?" I think I only made desserts that week that would pair with caramel sauce. lol.  It is very tedious but worth every minute.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. Oh yeah, GF is gluten free. :)

recipe from Bravetart
Ingredients

12 ounces cream
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1½ ounces butter
7 ounces sugar
¼ tsp salt
Bring the cream to a boil with the vanilla bean. Steep for an hour, or as long as you can. If you don’t have that kind of time, use 1 Tbsp of vanilla extract instead.

Caramelize the 7 ounces of sugar by setting a large pot over a medium flame. Sprinkle with some of the sugar to form an even coat over the bottom of the pan. As the sugar melts, sprinkle in a little more. This is a slow process. Shake and swirl the pan to mix, don’t stir. If you notice a hot spot that is caramelizing too fast, sprinkle extra sugar there to “put it out” so to speak. When all the sugar has been added and liquefied, cook until it reaches a foxy brown color.

 This definitely scared me...but fear not

 it slowly starts to melt......

 Then you get this beautiful color and consistency.

Immediately pour in a quarter of the cream, and stir. It will bubble and foam but, if you have a large pot, you’re safe. The mixture will foam up, but not out. Stir, being careful of the steam that’s undoubtedly coming from the pot. The sugar will clump. Worry not. When the foam subsides, pour in more cream, repeating until it’s all been safely added. Stir and simmer until any clumped up sugar has dissolved. Then stir in the butter, salt, and vanilla bean scrapings.

You can strain the mixture if you like, to sieve out any bits that may have not dissolved.

 While still warm I drizzled on top of some monkey bread.

 After it was cooled in the fridge I just drizzled some on pieces. Deeelish!! I'm also weird and prefer some things cold.   Cold spaghetti, cold chicken, cold pancakes....I know..WEIRDO!

There you have it.  Bravetart's amazing caramel! Why are you still reading this?? Go make some asap!!