Caramel is a gourmet treat that you can make at home. Suffice it to recall the "cockerel" sweets, loved by all of us in childhood. In addition, caramel is also suitable for flavoring and decorating ice cream, crème brulee, and various desserts.
To properly prepare caramel, you will need:
- an aluminum or stainless steel pan with a thick bottom;
- 1 cup granulated sugar;
- ¾ a glass of water;
- a few drops of vinegar essence;
- food coloring.
To prepare delicious caramel according to a simple recipe, you need to put sugar in a preheated saucepan. Then water is poured into it and heated over medium heat. In this case, the pan is periodically shaken and carefully rotated around its axis, but the sugar is not mixed with a spoon. Such a measure will avoid its crystallization.
Gradually, the sugar dissolves completely, forming a caramel. The product begins to darken, acquiring an amber hue and characteristic aroma. It is important here not to overexpose the caramel on fire, otherwise the procedure for its preparation will have to start from the very beginning. The whole process takes no more than 10 minutes on average.
A few drops of lemon juice will keep the mixture pliable, making it easy to pour over pies, ice cream or pudding. In order for the caramel not to be sugared, vinegar essence is introduced into it during cooking. Some recipes do not use water to make caramel.
By the way, the taste and color of the caramel is easy to adjust. If delicacy in color and taste is preferred, then you can almost keep the mixture on fire. A bitter, almost nutty taste and a rich shade of the product are obtained with a longer cooking. However, the line between the level of readiness and burning through the mixture is too thin, because cooking caramel requires caution.
