Page 332 - YC Cooking School

Measure out your cream, butter and salt before you start making the sugar syrup. You’ll
need to keep a close eye on the syrup as it cooks and melts, so avoid distractions by

preparing all the other ingredients in advance.

Use a good quality, heavy-based pot
Heavy-based pots are really important when working with sugar as it burns so easily. A
heavy-based pot will give you even heat distribution.

Low to medium heat is best
When making caramel for the first time, reduce the heat a little. The caramel might take
longer to form, but you’ll be able to get a feel for how it should look as it gradually changes
colour and texture.

Keep an eye on it, but don’t over-stir
To make a dry caramel, spread the sugar evenly on the base of the pot. As sections start to
melt, gently move them around with a spoon so that all the sugar has a chance to come into
contact with the heat and the hotter liquid sections are evenly distributed. Stirring can

cause the sugar to clump up, so you could also do this by giving the pot a good shake.

A bit of troubleshooting
If you over-stir, the sugar syrup may solidify into a crystallised lump. But don’t panic – you
can save the mixture by reducing the heat and allowing the lumps to melt back into the

liquid. Sadly, if the caramel burns, there’s no turning back and you’ll have to start over, so
keep an eye on it.

Add room temperature ingredients to the hot caramel
This is important as cold cream or butter might shock the sugar crystals and cause them to

clump together. Take a lot of care at this stage as the hot sugar may bubble up furiously
when you add the cream.

From salted caramel to banoffee pudding pots

For no-mess no-fuss crumbs, place the biscuits of your choice into a plastic bag and crush
them with a rolling pin or bottle.

We’ve used banana for this recipe, but you can pick whichever fruit you like. Mango and

pineapple are both yummy options, as is a stone fruit (just cut it, halve it, and place it on the
grill to caramelise a little beforehand).

Make sure your salted caramel has cooled completely before adding it to the whipped
cream, otherwise it will deflate and form a sad puddle on top of your crushed biscuits.

For a final flourish, sprinkle a few mixed nuts on the top of the banoffee pots.

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