Sometimes a dessert, or in this case a dessert sauce, feels so confident of its awesomeness that I have to let it speak for itself. This one thinks very highly of itself indeed. Take it away, blood orange caramel sauce.
Allow me to introduce myself to you. I am the best caramel sauce ever. People say I have an Extremely High Opinion of myself, but they say it as if it were not the compliment that I know that it is. Of course I have an Extremely High Opinion of myself.
I am the warmth of caramel. I am the mellowness of butter. I am the brightness of orange. I am the floral depth of vanilla.
I am, in a word, Perfect.
Some caramel sauces are so plebeian and viscid that they end up congealing into a thick sludge that overpowers the palate and sticks to the dental work once poured over ice cream. Commoners.
Not I. I am of The Elite.
I pool seductively around my ice cream leaving just a sheer silken caress as I cascade, content to enhance, not overpower.
In my consent—and it is by my consent—to play a supporting role, I shine.
I glory in my Perfection of Viscosity, certain that I am invited—nay, charged—to raise a slice of pound cake, a saucer of ice cream or a glistening compote of sliced fruit out of the realm of the mundane and into the Extraordinary.
I am the sunshine of Italy. I am the trade winds of Jamaica. I am the rainforest of Mexico.
I am Perfect.
I want to share myself with you so that you may share me with others so that all may adore me.
Um, gee, thanks for that, blood orange caramel sauce. After all of that…hyperbole…let me jump in and just say that it is Really Stupidly Tasty and you should probably make some for yourself.
Blood Orange Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 oz freshly squeezed blood orange juice, , strained (use more if you have it for a total of 6 oz of juice)
- 4 oz orange juice, , strained (freshly squeezed if you have the oranges, if not, try to use a not-from-concentrate juice)
- 2 oz heavy cream
- at least 1/4 teaspoon and up to 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt, , to taste
- 1 oz (2 Tablespoons) butter
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- In a heavy bottomed sauce pan much larger than you think you need, cook the sugar and water together until it comes to a boil.
- Brush down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to wash away any errant sugar crystals and then cook without stirring, until the sugar begins to take on some color.
- Gently swirl the pan while heating and continue to cook until the sugar is a lovely deep amber.
- Pour in the juices and the cream. Be careful, the whole thing will bubble up alarmingly.
- Turn the heat down and stir to melt any sugar that may have seized up.
- Add the salt and the butter.
- Bring up to a very light boil/high simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes.
- Strain into a bowl and stir in the vanilla.
- The caramel will be fairly thin but will thicken some upon cooling.
- Reheat to serve, or serve at cold. Do make sure you stir it well first though as the butter has a tendency to rise to the top in the fridge.
If you’ve never made caramel sauce or just need a quick refresher, here’s my Google+ Hangout on Air showing you how to make it.
And there you have it. I do hope you give “Mr. Perfect” Blood Orange Caramel Sauce a Try. I think you’ll be very happy you did.
Thanks for reading, and have a lovely day.
vanillasugarblog says
nicely done Ms Jenni!
keep on this creating roll!
onlinepastrychef says
Thanks, my friend Dawn! I like it when the dessert speaks for itself. All I have to do is stand by and watch! lol 🙂
Nicole Shepherd says
This is for Blood Orange Caramel Sauce, not you Jenni.
Dear Blood Orange Caramel Sauce,
Are you single? I’m looking for a long term partner that likes small bowls, silver spoons and maybe an occasional fling with other exotic fruits. If you’re interested, do not hesitate to call me, or come by my freezer. 867-5309…Yours truly,
~Lonely bowl of French Vanilla Ice Cream
onlinepastrychef says
This is most definitely the best comment ever, @google-8a2a9edbdd1392ed60d4a75836e05f64:disqus ! Please tell Lonely Bowl of French Vanilla Ice Cream that he (she?) has a date! =)
Nicole Shepherd says
I thought you might think it was funny lol! In all seriousness though, this Blood Orange Caramel Sauce needs to seriously be made in my house! It already sounded awesome and amazing, but your new photos drive it on home! Welll done my friend! 🙂
onlinepastrychef says
Aw, thank you! I guess it was worth that trip to the store. Hooray!
Mary says
Best comment ever. How could I even attempt to come up with something now? Awesome post too. This recipe need to happen in my kitchen soon. I have some lonely ice cream over here as well.
onlinepastrychef says
@26944d7609755849753ab8519248745d:disqus Right?! That Nicole is a ringer! lol I do hope you give this a try. It really is remarkably good!
Carrie Vibert says
Awesome. I love a treat that’s sure of itself. 🙂
onlinepastrychef says
This one *is* pretty cocky, I will admit, @google-ce4bdc981dfd3977c3d51ae93c5c6593:disqus ! But it is legitimately Fantastic, if I do say so myself! 🙂
Lizzy Do says
The comments are as funny as the post…and the caramel sounds amazing!!!
onlinepastrychef says
Nicole’s (oh, I mean the vanilla ice cream’s comment) cracked me up too, @google-96f978412c10345298e82cfeae3cb0b0:disqus ! The sauce truly is special. I am so pleased with how it turned out that I made it two days in a row! lol
Robin E. H. Ove says
Pretty saucy guest post….This is just what taste combinationI have been imagining Jennifer! Thanks for posting – say, how easily does this sauce actually strain through a sieve?
onlinepastrychef says
That sauce really is pretty full of himself! lol
I do hope you’ll try it, @google-ab55932ebaa39ced525f739135b58432:disqus –good stuff! It strains with no problem at all. It is pretty thin when hot, so even through a fine mesh it went straight through. I strain the juice before adding it to the pot and then strain at the end again, just to make sure it’s nice and smooth. 🙂
Camille says
I have a slightly related question. Why do you specify not-from-concentrate juice? I ask because I feel the same way, and I go out of my way to buy 100% real not-from-concentrate juices, but why? My husband pointed out that if it’s concentrated it takes much less fuel to transport it, which threw my previous worldview into a bit of a tailspin. Can you help clarify? Thanks.
onlinepastrychef says
For me, I think juice from concentrate tastes kind of dead. I mean, the act of concentrating it sort of squeezes the floral part out I find. And yes, it does make sense that it would cost less to transport it, but I was mostly talking about juices that are made from concentrates. And that’s even dumber, in my book. So some company buys the concentrate and then adds water, slaps a label on the carton and it still costs just as much to ship as “freshly squeezed.” Weird.
I have no idea if I’ve been able to help with your existential crisis, but I hope so! 🙂
Jodee Weiland says
This looks absolutely delicious! I love the use of blood oranges for the that extra flavor in the caramel sauce. This must be an outstanding addition to ice cream.
Jennifer Field says
I tried it with three different ice creams and on pound cake. It’s definitely a good one to have in your arsenal, Jodee! Enjoy! =)
Charlie says
Hi Jenni:
I have a pure copper pot that is just for caramel.
Will the acid from the fruit affect it?
Should I use a stainless pot instead?
Thanks and God Bless :~D
Charlie
Jennifer Field says
Just to be on the safe side, I’d stick with stainless steel for this one, Charlie. Save your copper for cream-based caramels. Enjoy! 🙂
Lani says
Hello! Can you recommend a temperature of when the sugar/water has hit the correct temp to caramelize properly before adding the juice and cream? I made this and my caramel sauce was very thin and never thickened up even when I tried to put it in the freezer. I did it twice with one at 320F and the other at 330.
Jennifer Field says
Hey, Lani! When it comes to caramelizing, I always go by color, so I generally am looking for a dark amber/strong tea color. After adding the juice and cream, it could just be a matter of boiling it down a bit to your preferred consistency. I hope this helps!
Lani says
Thanks for your prompt reply, Jenni! I will try it by color next time!