Amazing Butterscotch Sauce
I know I have posted about carmelization before, but I wanted to make a special post about this beautiful butterscotch sauce because I made it the other night, and I really nailed it. I made a brief mention of this in answer to a comment in an earlier post as well, but this way it will be searchable both within this site and in search engines.
First, let me say that this sauce is not for diabetics, nor for those who are trying to reduce carbohydrates, cholesterol or fat in their diets. Nor is it strictly vegetarian since it contains dairy (and this is one of those times when non-dairy just won’t work as a substitute). It is strictly for those who want to take their desserts to the next level, and damn the consequences!
Usually I just use the butterscotch as a topping for ice cream, but you can get a little more creative and use it in a sundae, or English Trifle, or a layer in a cake. It would probably work as an icing, too, since the ingredients are so similar, but you would need to increase the butter content to make it harden better.
This recipe starts with carmelized sugar, which is sugar that has been heated up until it almost burns. The goal is to get it to a rich, deep red-brown color, which happens at around 350 to 375 degrees. When this occurs, there are two things that happen to the sugar. First, the sugar, which is a chemical called sucrose, splits into two separate molecules called glucose and fructose. Glucose is mildly sweet, as those who have been subjected to blood sugar tests can testify. It is also the basic fuel for cells within our bodies. Fructose, however, is much sweeter, twice as sweet as sucrose in fact! So by splitting the molecules (somthing that happens during digestion anyway) we are making it sweeter than it already was, and doing so without adding to the total sugar or carbohydrate or calorie levels! How good is that?
The second thing is that some of the aromatic compounds within the sugar are made more complex, which deepens the flavors and smells, and gives that distinct caramel taste and smell. The actual chemical reactions that occur are beyond the scope of this post, and in fact are beyond the understanding of yours truly. Suffice it to say that there are complexities that still evade organic chemists to this date, but the result is tasty nonetheless!
To carmelize sugar, start with a small to medium sauce pan that has some weight to it. Lighter metal will not spread the heat as well, and you may not get the effect you want. Pour a cup of sugar in a heap in the bottom of the pan. Add a quarter cup of water, or perhaps a touch less. In previous posts I had suggested that equal amounts of sugar and water were the way to go, and if you let the water evaporate enough you can still make it work, but this is tricky. I think I got lucky the first few times I did that, but from time to time I would end up with a crystalized mess that I had to dissolve off the pan. Now I use less water, and it works like a charm everytime.
Now turn the heat up just above medium. I use setting “6″ on my dial (and no, my stove does not go up to 11, as it is not a Spinal Tap stove). Do NOT stir the sugar. Simply let the heat start to work, and once a minute or so give the pan a swirl. You will begin to see pockets of color starting to form, and this color will start to deepen fairly quickly. When the color is just below what you want it to be, take the pan off the heat. The residual heat will continue to cook the sugar, which will bring it to its final color.
Now for the butter. The amount of butter you use will make the sauce as thick or as runny as you want it to be. If you use about a half cup you will end up with something like fudge, which is not a bad thing, but it is not a sauce then. So if you want a sauce that will run at room temperature, use no more than a quarter cup of butter. NOTE: Keep your head back while adding the butter, as it may spatter from the heat. Hot melted butter and 300 degree sugar are not fun things to put on your face, and they are not easy to remove if they get there, so don’t let it happen!
Once the butter is added, stir it in and put the sauce back on LOW heat. When the butter is completely melted into the sugar, add about a half cup to a full cup of heavy cream. By heavy cream I mean whipping cream, which should be 35% fat. Do not try to use a lighter version of this, as it is the fat that prevents the cream from separating and ruining the sauce. I suppose that once the sauce cools down, you might be able to add some lighter cream, but I have never tried it and I don’t intend to.
Bring the sauce up to temperature, gently stirring and allowing it to thicken. When it is completely warmed through, remove it from the heat, and pour into a container and pop it in the fridge to cool. That’s it!
I hope you enjoy it!
Yours in Good Taste,
Erik Christensen