Last Summer we took our first trip to Sonoma, CA to visit wineries and have a weekend away with friends. One one of the last evenings we were in Sonoma we had dinner at The Girl & The Fig restaurant. Well it is a special place, we loved the meal but sitting outback at a table with great friends and a glass of wine in hand with small plates of olives and bread in front of us and then a meal and dessert was just spectacular. Before we left I bought a few goodies they sell, a hand cream and a few kitchen items. Well little did I know that The Girl & The Fig Salted Fig Caramel Sauce was going to be one of those ‘to die for’ items I must have.
This week I made several batches so I could give away jars of it for Mother’s Day to my mom, mother-in-law, sister and other special people. And of course I made some for myself (I am a mother after all).
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/2-1 Tablespoon sea salt
- 2 Tablespoons Fig Compote (or Jam if you cannot find compote)
Instructions
- Directions:
- Put a large Sauce pan on the stove over Medium High Heat (if your stove tends to be really hot try Medium Heat). Pour your sugar into the pan and start to let is melt. Stir occasionally until it is melted. You will cook it until it becomes amber color and 340-350 degrees using a candy thermometer. The sugar is done just as it starts to have the slightest simmers on the surface and it will can go from sugar that is perfect for caramel to burnt in a matter in seconds so once the sugar begins to color don't leave the sugar. As soon as the sugar is amber is the temperature is 340-350 add the butter and stir the mixture together. Once the butter is melted remove the pan from the heat and add the fig and heavy cream.
- Once combined taste the flavor after a few minutes and then add the salt. I like to add a little and taste it until I feel the caramel has the right ratio of sweet to salty. Once the caramel sits for 15 minutes you can pour it into mason jars and store in the fridge.
Notes
Make sure your sauce pan is large enough to allow the sugar to spread out and melt otherwise part may burn before it is all melted and turns amber. I tried doubling the recipe but my pan was not large enough so I encountered problems trying to melt the sugar and caramelize it.
2 cups granulated sugar
10 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup Heavy Cream
1/2-1 Tablespoon sea salt
2 Tablespoons Fig Compote (or Jam if you cannot find compote)
Directions:
Put a large Sauce pan on the stove over Medium High Heat (if your stove tends to be really hot try Medium Heat). Pour your sugar into the pan and start to let is melt. Stir occasionally until it is melted. You will cook it until it becomes amber color and 340-350 degrees using a candy thermometer. The sugar is done just as it starts to have the slightest simmers on the surface and it will can go from sugar that is perfect for caramel to burnt in a matter in seconds so once the sugar begins to color don’t leave the sugar. As soon as the sugar is amber is the temperature is 340-350 add the butter and stir the mixture together. Once the butter is melted remove the pan from the heat and add the fig and heavy cream.
Once combined taste the flavor after a few minutes and then add the salt. I like to add a little and taste it until I feel the caramel has the right ratio of sweet to salty. Once the caramel sits for 15 minutes you can pour it into mason jars and store in the fridge.
Notes:
Make sure your sauce pan is large enough to allow the sugar to spread out and melt otherwise part may burn before it is all melted and turns amber. I tried doubling the recipe but my pan was not large enough so I encountered problems trying to melt the sugar and caramelize it.
Salted Caramel Fig Sauce is one of my favorite kitchen staples because it can dress up ice cream into something special and tastes divine, or you can drizzle it over a cake or add some into brownies. The ways you can use it is limitless, but in our house the sauce is treated like gold.
by Kristin P. Fitch
