My first caramel making experiment is complete.
After making a really yummy port caramel glaze for pears and icecream, I thought it might be fun to try and make port flavored caramels (especially since the ubiquitous GirlPurple has been feeding me the most delicious homemade caramel, and I wanted some of my own), so I took this epicurious recipe, and modified it to use port instead of rum. I also substituted muscovado sugar for light brown sugar, since it was what I had in the house. The recipe called for heating the mixture to 248 degrees, but the comments noted that the results had been very crumbly, so I reduced it a couple of degrees, to 245. I don't know if it was the lower temp, the brown sugar, the port, or all of the above, but the result was VERY gooey. When cut with a butter knife, the caramel slowly oozes back together and reseals if not promptly separated.
The addition of the port has definitely left a bit of a flavor, but it's almost completely overwhelmed by the muscovado. For those not familar, muscovado is a VERY dark, strongly molasses flavored brown sugar. The end result tastes very much like a molasses candy. It's delicious, but not at all what I had in mind. It's tragic, but I'm just going to have to make another batch of caramels and try again.
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