Caramel Sauce

To be honest, I'm not sure I should share this recipe.  It's really too easy, and kind of a dangerous thing to have lurking in your fridge.  I originally made this caramel sauce for these salted caramel blondies (these are amazing, especially if you let the butter brown when you melt it), and had about half the batch leftover.  Since then, it's gone on ice cream, fruit, and, my favorite, with berry sauce and whipped cream on French toast.  And it's not gone yet- anyone have favorite uses for caramel sauce?

I stuck with the recipe on this one, being fairly inexperienced with anything that involves melting sugar.  Be sure to watch the sugar closely, since it will cross the line from perfectly golden to bitter and brown very quickly.  And then you'd be sad.  I also upped the salt, as suggested, since I was making salted caramel blondies anyway.  I really like how the salt keeps it from being too sweet.

Caramel Sauce
from The Joy of Cooking, via Yummy Supper

What's in it:

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
pinch or three of salt

How to make it:

Place sugar and water in a small heavy sauce pan.  Heat over to medium-high heat swirling the pan occasionally until sugar has dissolved.  (Avoid letting sugar burn until completely dissolved.) 

Cover pan, turn heat to high, and boil for 2 minutes.  Remove lid and continue to boil until syrup turns brown around the edges of the pan.  Swirl syrup occasionally until it turns a deep amber.

Remove pan from heat and whisk in butter, two or three tablespoons at a time.  Stir in cream, then vanilla and salt.  If sauce become lumpy, set pan over low heat and stir until smooth then turn off heat again.

Use immediately, eat a spoonful, or pour into an airtight container (canning jars work well) for later.  Allow to come to room temp, or rewarm in the microwave if it's in an appropriate container, before using.