This blood orange caramel sauce tastes just like one of those Brach's orange caramels but in sauce form. While it is fantastic on vanilla ice cream, don't discount pouring it over cheesecake, pound cake, pancakes or bread pudding.
4ozfreshly squeezed blood orange juicestrained (or up to 6 oz. See Notes, below)
4ozheavy cream
1/4-1/2teaspoonfine sea salt or kosher salt
1Tablespoonunsalted butter
1teaspoonvanilla extract
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 juice and 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.
Notes
If you like a sweeter sauce, consider using half blood orange juice and half "regular" freshly sqeezed orange juice since that is sweeter and less bitter. You may also adjust the proportions of cream to juice, using 2 oz juice and 6 oz cream or 6 oz juice and only 2 oz cream.
STORING
Keep in the fridge for up to two weeks. It may keep for longer, but I prefer to err on the side of caution, especially when a recipe contains dairy.