Brown butter caramel sauce

Cooking butter slightly past its melting point yields a rich, intensely nutty flavour that sings with the sweet-bitter notes of a good home-made caramel sauce. Add a sprinkle of salt to turn it into a salted caramel sauce.

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low to medium heat, swirling the pan frequently until it separates and brown bits start to form at the bottom. Once it’s golden brown and smells nutty, remove from the heat and allow to cool.

2. Place the sugar in a pan over a medium heat and melt. When dark and caramel-coloured, whisk in the cooled browned butter.

3. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly add the cream while whisking (it’ll splatter, but don’t panic!) until glossy.

4. Return to the heat and simmer over a low heat for a few minutes, then allow to cool and thicken. Add a sprinkle of sea salt if you like.

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Photographs: Jan Ras
Production: Bianca Strydom
Food assistant: Ellen Schwerdtfeger