Butterscotch Sauce

I thought this might interest someone

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/foo ... le1820991/


And while I'm at it, some interesting finger-food desserts...

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2010/1 ... weets.html

Warning: These are links to news sites - they may not remain accessible too long.

Re the question of wine pairings with super-sweet desserts ... As I read the recipe for butterscotch sauce, it occurred to me that it might be nice to take a very dark chocolate sponge pudding, pour a generous amount of liqueur muscat over it, and top it with the butterscotch sauce. Never mind trying to drink the wine with it, pour it into the dessert.

[Jenise]

A friend of mine once discussed pouring butterscotch sauce over brie cheese as a dessert item. I've never actually made or tasted a butterscotch sauce myself (not being fond of desserts), but it's an interesting thought, isn't it?

[David M. Bueker]

As a butterscotch fan the idea of pouring it on cheese of any type (except perhaps cheese cake) is repugnant to me. Now butterscotch on toasted almond ice cream is another matter.

Now butterscotch on toasted almond ice cream is another matter.

Or butter pecan ice cream as well. Here is our more pedestrial version:

Quick Butterscotch Sauce:

1/4 C Heavy cream
1/4 Light corn syrup
6 oz Butterscotch pieces (1 cup)

Bring cream and syrup to a boil, stirring. Remove from heat and add butterscotch pieces. Serve warm.

our more pedestrial version...

Blended with your feet?

I'm going to have to try that - making the caramel for flan is the trickiest part. And I do like flan!

John

That butterscotch recipe is the same or very close to many dulce de leche recipes.

So is there no difference between butterscotch sauce and Caramel sauce... are they the one and same... if so why call it two different names.

Here is the recipe I use for caramel sauce. I usually use it to top a pumpkin custard or a red yam flan as a side dish for the holidays. It is a no fail recipe that unmolds perfectly every time.

Caramel Sauce

l l/4 cups heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2 tablespoons light corn syrup
l l/2 cups granulated sugar

Optional: 2 tbls of licquor
4 tbls of honey

In a small saucepan, combine l cup cream with butter and heat until
butter melts and cream is hot. Keep warm.

Spoon the corn syrup into a medium deep saucepan and top with the sugar.

On medium heat, cook until mixture turns a deep amber color. stirring
often with a wooden spoon. As the mixture turns golden, remove pan from
heat and add the honey if you are using it.

Pour cream mixture into the sugar, stirring to combine well. Mixture
will bubble up as you pour, so be careful not to burn yourself. Pour
a little at a time so you can control it.

Stir in remaining l/4 cup cream. Add licquor if you are using it.
If not using the sauce immediately, let cool and refrigerate, covered,
until needed. This will keep for weeks in the refrigerator. You can
also put it in a squeese bottle.

Yield: l l/2 cups

Actually I made this last night to top some vanilla frozen yogurt. If you haven't tried the frozen yogurt from whole foods it is a pretty decent product. The two I like best are the vanilla and the creme caramel.

Tim

So is there no difference between butterscotch sauce and Caramel sauce... are they the one and same... if so why call it two different names...

From Wikipedia:

Toffee - somewhat similar to butterscotch, but harder
Caramel candy - differs from butterscotch in that the flavour is from caramelized (slightly burnt) sugar and not brown sugar. Caramel refers to the caramelized sugar itself and not other ingredients added (such as butter or cream).

So... are you saying that to make a caramel sauce more of a butterscotch sauce you need to use brown sugar instead of white sugar. I never thought of trying that... might be interesting to see what the results would be.

The initial recipe posted for this butterscotch thread specified the use of white sugar. I always thought that a butterscotch sauce differed slightly from a straight caramel sauce. Perhaps I was wrong.

Btw, I also tried the quick version that was posted using the store bought butterscotch chips about six months ago. The recipe I posted is really quite simple and fast and negates the quick method. Both methods however unfortunately require the cleaning of a pot.

Tim

OK... with a little bit of research I have answered my own question.

There is a difference between butterscotch and caramel sauces. It is dependent on the type of sugar used. True butterscotch sauce is made with brown sugar. So the original recipe posted to start this thread was wrong. That recipe was for a caramel sauce not butterscotch.

Interestingly that the original recipe for butterscotch originated in Ireland and generally used scotch whiskey in the recipe.

Even though I made this last night to put over vanilla frozen yogurt I am going to make it again in the next couple of days this time using brown sugar and then it is on to making a true butterscotch pudding.

Btw, even though I am a big fan of maple syrup, especially grade B, my favorite syrup for pancakes and waffles remains a simple syrup of brown sugar and water. We were dirt poor when I was growing up and I still use this simple inexpensive syrup today.

Tim

OK... Thought I might as well go ahead and finish this with a recipe for true butterscotch sauce.

How to Make Butterscotch

Ingredients

* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1 cup of tightly packed dark brown sugar
* ¾ cup heavy whipping cream (not ultra-pasteurized)
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Butterscotch takes about a half an hour to make, from start to finish.

*1* First, before you begin, make sure you have everything ready to go -
the cream and the brown sugar next to the pan, measured and waiting.
Making butterscotch is a fast process that cannot wait for hunting
around for ingredients.

*2* In a heavy bottomed stainless steel 2 quart saucepan, melt butter
over low to medium heat. Just before butter is melted, add all dark
brown sugar at once and stir with wooden spoon until sugar is uniformly wet.

*3* Stir infrequently until mixture goes from looking grainy to molten
lava. Make sure to get into the corners of your pot, and watch closely
to notice how the mixture changes. It will take about 3 to 5 minutes.

*4* Right before you add the cream, the caramelizing brown sugar will
begin to look and feel more like liquid and less like thick wet sand.

*5* At this point add all the cream at once and replace your spoon with
a whisk. Lower heat a little and whisk cream into mixture. When liquid
is uniform, turn heat back to medium and whisk every few minutes for a
total of 10 minutes.

*6* After liquid has been boiling on the stove for its 10 minutes, turn
heat off and let rest for a minute or two before transferring into a
heatproof storage vessel. (I prefer a stainless steel or glass bowl.)
Cool to room temperature.

*7* When butterscotch liquid is room temperature, take a small taste.
It's important to know what cooked brown sugar and butter tastes like,
and what happens when transforming that flat sweetness into real
butterscotch flavor. Whisk in half the salt and vanilla extract. Taste
again. Add more salt and vanilla extract until the marvelous taste of
real butterscotch is achieved.

Butterscotch makes a fantastic topping for ice cream.

Chill butterscotch sauce in a non-reactive container with a tightly
fitting lid only after sauce has chilled completely. It will keep for
one month refrigerated, that is if you can keep from eating it all the
moment it has cooled down and been seasoned to your liking.

Tim