Sweet Condiments

Dear Chase:

When I think back at my time in Las Vegas and working along side some of the worlds greatest pastry chefs, I think about all the tips and techniques that I have picked upthrough the years and how I can best use them in my baking today. One of the pastry chefs at the Bellagio once told me, the easiest way to make a dessert go from good to amazing, is to pair it with the perfect condiment. When we think of savory foods and the condiments that go with them, I think of ketchup with fries, mustard with corn dogs, salsa with chips and so on. Condiments simply makes good foods taste better! So, in this blog I wanted to show you how I make my desserts go from good to great. The best sweet condiments and quite honestly my baking staples are homemade caramel sauce, flavored chocolate sauce, fresh whipped cream and lastly, fresh fruit sauces. (My Personal favorite is a blueberry sauce over lemon pound cake, hmmmm)

Today, I am going to show you how to make caramel sauce that can be used over ice cream, cakes, cookies or whatever your little heart desires.


To start, you will need a bottom heavy pan that heats evenly, a wooden spoon, and a heat proof container to store the warm caramel.

Ingredients:

1 C. White Sugar
1Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, room temperture
1/2 c. Heavy Cream

Next, turn the heat to medium and spread the sugar evenly onto the pan. Do not stir. Let the sugar melt and start the crystallization process, it will take 5-7 minutes. Once the sugar melts, it will turn into a dark amber color at which point you can remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool for a bit. Once the sugar cools, add the butter until melted.
Transfer caramel into heat proof container and store. Caramel stays fresh for up to 3 weeks but I'm sure it won't last that long:)