Caramel Fail

Colombia puts Italy to shame when it comes to bureaucracy. In order to rent an apartment in Bogotá for example, we need two guarantors who own property themselves (and are financially on the line if we don't pay our rent), copies of their property deeds, copies of bank statements for the last three months (ours and theirs), letters from our non-existent employers, proof of our income, investments and coins fallen behind the cushions, and promise of a kidney should the landlady ever need it (which we offered instead of the contract-standard first-born — given my age, there may not be a second-born).

It's enough to drive a girl to eat an entire tray of caramel! If only I could make caramel.

Perhaps it was my incredibly frustrated state of mind, perhaps the stove which has only three heat settings, perhaps the pots with their thin bases that can't distribute said heat. Whatever the excuse, the sad reality at the end of that day was that I can't make caramel.

Three times I tried and three times I failed. I used three different recipes from very respected sources and somehow I was defeated by each of them. The first batch were so hard I couldn't cut the caramel slab with a knife, so teeth would have no chance. The second batch turned into a giant crystalised lump. The final batch showed such great potential, but at the last minute I was distracted by the looming need to plan a wedding, and I let the sugar burn. 

But, like the little engine that couldn't bear throwing away so much sugar, cream, butter, glucose syrup and vanilla, I kept trying. I figured if sugar could melt once, it could melt again, so I took Hard As A Rock and put it in a pot of boiling cream. After much stirring and hoping, Hard As A Rock became delicious Salted Butter Caramel Sauce. Then I used half the sauce to fill these chocolates. 

The other half of the sauce is in the fridge, waiting for that rainy day when we have to connect internet, water and electricity. Oh the joys that await! 

Comments

[Vercruysse Geert]

Hi Suzie, my recipie to make vanilla-cream caramels (home recipie)
250 g fine sugar
250 g 35% fat cream
30 g butter
60 g clear honey
1 vanilla bean

result 20 cm on 20 cm square

Set it to a medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Place a sugar thermometer in the pan and cook until min 121°C. (very important!) take a small amount drop in a bowl of ice water and you need to create a ball with it if you could not its because the cooking need to be higher (125°C).
Outpouring between the frames, cooling for about 2 houres and cutting with a sharp oiled
knife, keep it in a dry environment, or in plastic foil.

Lot of succes Suzie
Greetings Geert

[CupcakeQ]

Wow, thanks Geert! The Patisserie Vercruysse recipe for caramel!

I'll have to play with the temperatures a little, I've found I need to subtract 8 degrees from other recipes to account for the altitude here in Bogota (2640m above sea level). Is 121°C the soft ball stage?

[Vercruysse Geert]

sorry Suzie,
for this delay, 112°C-116°C is the soft ball stage, 118°C-121°C middle and 121°C-130°C is the hard ball stage
best of luck
Geert