Creamy Caramel Sauce

Step two on my quest to make my new favorite dessert was conquering caramel sauce, so, as you can probably guess, I turned again to Sir David. 

And so what if I completely botched the first batch?  (PS--caramel is bitchy.)  I think it's bad luck to make caramel sauce correctly on the first try.  That's what I read in the Bible.  True story.

The second batch was the bee's knees.  And it is the second major component in my new favorite dessert.  (I mean, for real y'all, are you totally on the edge of your seat--OR WHAT?)

It's no surprise that it's delicious.  And creamy.  And everything that Sir David said it would be.

And it looks really cute in a mason jar.

Make some, and keep it around for two weeks.  You know you want to eat it with a spoon.

Creamy Caramel Sauce, from David Lebovitz's, The Perfect Scoop

1 cup of sugar

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large, deep, heavy duty saucepan or dutch oven, spread the sugar in an even layer.

Cook the sugar over low to medium heat, watching it carefully.

When it begins to liquefy and darken around the edges, use a heatproof spatula to very gently stir it to encourage even cooking.

Tilt the pan and stir gently until all of the sugar is melted and the caramel begins to smoke and turns a deep amber color.

Immediately remove from the heat and whisk in half of the cream, which will steam and bubble up furiously.

Carefully stir until the sugar is dissolved, then gradually whisk in the remaining cream and the salt and vanilla.

If there are any bits of hardened sugar, whisk the sauce over low heat until smooth.

(Serve warm. Keeps in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, if it lasts that long. Rewarm gently in the microwave or stirring in a saucepan over very low heat.  Also, if the sauce is too thick, you can thin it by adding a small amount of milk or additional cream.)