There are very few things I like better than the taste of salted caramel. Some of my familiy members, possibly, and Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia and that’s about it. While I’m glad that Ladurée has opened an outpost in Brussels, their salted caramel macaroons and jars of caramel au beurre salé have brought me to the edge of financial ruin.

In an unexpected burst of responsibility, I have started to make caramel myself (I draw a line at macaroons. I just hand over the money.) Now, the thing with true caramel – as in melted sugar – is that it’s a bit inconvenient to make. You need a sugar thermometer and the caramel can burn and it can turn messy. Quite extraordinarily, though, all this can be made easier AND more delicious by adding butter and cream. Well, come to think of it, everything can be made more delicious by adding butter and cream, but I digress.

So, you take:
– 250 grams of butter
– 250 grams of sugar
– 250 ml heavy cream
– half a teaspoon of salt (I add more, but start slow)

Melt the butter on low heat, then add the sugar and let it dissolve (stir, if you’re impatient). Simmer a few minutes, add the cream and stir until it all comes together and becomes a lovely golden liquid. Add the salt, simmer a couple of minutes more and done.

I guess properly speaking, this is caramel sauce rather than caramel, but frankly – when you eat this, you don’t care what it’s called. You can of course make it in smaller quantities, but… why would you?