Hey love

I’m writing this letter to tell how much I love you!
Even though you’re bad for me, I still love you and want you. I wouldn’t mind having you at any time, however you are.

How can I begin to describe you. I’ll mention what I like about you: your warmth, your softness, your stiffness, your sweetness, the contrast of your saltiness, your amber color, the way you make me dirty and make my hands, fingers and beard sticky and sweet, and how happy you eventually make me. You make me utter sounds I tend to keep locked away.

I have to apologize for trying to mess with you, for trying to change you. It was a disastrous idea. I should’ve known I wouldn’t get the same result. I messed up and we ended up apart. I, having none of you, and you in the trash can.

I’m sorry

Yours,
Hisham

I shouldn’t have tried that vegan caramel with almond milk, coconut milk and vegan butter. The sauce got hard instead of a pourable sauce and it felt incredibly sticky and elastic. It reminded me of the caramel women (used to) use for body hair removal.

But basic caramel sauce is simple; sugar, butter, cream and some salt yet it gives me pleasure eating it by the spoonful. I’d lick anything with caramel over it; drizzled on ice cream, giant cookies, or scooped by the spoon from the jar into my mouth. Any way is a good way.

It’s the feeling that you get; warm velvety sauce, or hard chewy candy that melt to the warmth of your mouth to reveal the silky texture of this simple amber sauce and release the flavor of nearly burnt sugar bound by delicious butter and held together by some cream to create this perfect mix of a sauce.
droooooool

I’m done here.
Off to cuddle… Errrmmmm, scoop some caramel and eat it.

Basic Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar (or 3/4 white – 1/4 brown)
• 50g butter (salted or unsalted)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp salt (optional, but I insist)

Procedure

• Prepare all your ingredients next to you before starting with the process
• In a heavy pot with high sides on medium heat, dump the sugar and let it sit until it starts melting watching it carefully not to burn. Stir a bit but be careful, this creates lumps. Stir until the sugar melts completely
• Once all the sugar has melted and turned amber (careful not to burn it as it can burn quickly at this stage) add the butter and stir continuously until it is incorporated. The butter will bubble and foam but stirring will blend it well
• Slowly pour the cream and stir. More bubbles will form because of the temperature difference so be careful not to burn yourself. The mixture will also harden a bit until its temperature rises back to incorporate the ingredients. Stir until it’s a homogeneous sauce
• Remove from heat, add salt and stir. Taste and add more salt if needed. I like my caramel to have a salty flavor that counterbalances the sweetness of the sugar
• Allow it to cool a bit before storing in jars and cool completely before refrigerating. It will last for 3-4 weeks
• Thaw before using or soak the jar in hot water to soften the sauce

On a side note, and while we’re still at the topic of caramel, here’s a song from the Lebanese movie Caramel that always plays in my head while making caramel