The last time I wrote about caramel I talked
about “letting go.” And right now
I feel like I’m riding a bucking bronco.
Life. Is an animal. And I’m just trying to saddle up, and
hang on.
Which has me thinking about how difficult it
can be to manage "it all." To be a
good daughter. Good
girlfriend. Good student. Good sister. Good employee. Good friend.
Good cook. Good human.
And now that I
have unpacked all of this I’ve realized I don’t have a good solution for
you today. All I have is a good caramel
recipe.
It’s made in the same manner as the last
one. And the importance of letting
go here is just as crucial as it was when I first mentioned it. But this recipe attempts to subvert what it means to be caramel by including a savory note.
The miso (said savory) mellows once it sits a little while, so if the
initial flavor is a tad too strong for you, just hang on. It ultimately imparts a little umami. That's all. Not that caramel really needs anything fancy.
All you need to know is that it's good. Really good. And thick. And gutsy. And it bucks
the notion of what it means to be caramel. So let go ... and hang on, friends.
Miso Caramel
Adapted from Food52
Ingredients:
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup water
½ cup heavy cream
2 tbsp white miso
1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions:
Place sugar and water in a medium saucepan; stir just to combine, and then stop stirring, allowing the mixture to come to a boil over medium heat. You can swirl
the pan occasionally to help the sugar caramelize evenly. (You can also use a wet pastry brush to wash down the sugar crystals that can form on the side of the pan, but I don’t usually do this. Nor have I found the need to, just be gentle with the swirling.) The most important thing is that, under no circumstances, should you
stir the mixture. See
here for additional information.
Once the mixture is deep golden brown,
remove the pan from the heat. Pour
in the cream (the caramel will bubble up). Put the pan back on low heat to aid the caramel in returning
to liquid form; stir with a rubber spatula, as needed, to smooth the mixture out. Whisk in the miso
and vanilla extract. Store in the
fridge.
Makes about 1 cup
Notes:
-Underneath the caramel is a small mountain of sheep's milk yogurt, topped with hazelnuts; a breakfast that I gladly ate for days. And one that I highly recommend.
-This caramel stays nice and thick. If you want to pour it over something (and I'll leave that something up to you), just warm it up a bit.
Interesting! I never would have thought to combine miso and caramel, but now that you mention it, I can see it working. :)
ReplyDeleteDefinitely interesting! Since I've neglected a container of miso paste in my fridge, this looks like the best way to rediscover it.
ReplyDelete