Caramel for Browning Soups and Gravies
Ingredients
Directions
Make the caramel
Heat the sugar slowly in a small iron kettle or saucepan.
Stir with a knife or flat stick until smooth.
Let it darken carefully to avoid burning.
Add the hot water very slowly while mixing thoroughly.
Let it simmer until the sugar dissolves, scraping the sides as needed.
Store
Bottle and cork the caramel.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Brown sugar
- Melts and darkens to provide the sweetness and deep caramel flavor.
- Hot water
- Dissolves the darkened sugar into a pourable liquid.
The step that matters
Let it darken carefully to avoid burning. Sugar passes from amber to bitter, burnt flavor within moments at high heat. Slow heating and constant stirring let it color evenly. Adding the water too quickly can cause violent splattering.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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