Caramel Sauce

The thought of making homemade caramel sauce is daunting for many cooks, but there's no reason to be intimidated. It's simple to prepare and, start to finish, takes only 15-20 minutes, after which you have a luscious, full-bodied sauce to drizzle on apple and peach pies, use in and on cream pies and top off pie à la mode. No fancy equipment needed: just a 3 qt stainless steel saucepan and a candy thermometer.

1 cup sugar
¼ tsp. kosher salt
⅓ cup water
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Combine the sugar and salt in a 3-3½ qt stainless steel saucepan and pour the water over them. Place the pan over medium to medium-high heat, stirring gently with a wooden spoon. As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, stop stirring.

Cook the mixture for 5-6 minutes, gently swirling the pan to "stir" the caramel so it colours evenly. As soon as the mixture turns a medium amber colour, remove the saucepan from the heat and add the cream all at once. Stir well, and don't be concerned if it clumps up at first; it will smooth out.

Put the saucepan back over medium-low heat and boil, stirring virtually nonstop, until the caramel reaches 220-225°F (104-107°C) on a candy thermometer.

Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Cool briefly, then transfer to heatproof jars to store. Cool to room temperature before refrigerating. It will keep for at least several weeks.

To reheat, microwave the jar in 5-10 second intervals, stirring in between, until pourable.

Makes about 1½ cups.