Spiced Caramel Syrup Recipes

SPICED CARAMEL SYRUP

Steps:

• Pour the sugar into a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan set over medium-high heat. Once the sugar starts to color, swirl the pan so that it melts and colors evenly.
• When the caramel is a light reddish-brown color, or as Mr. Skurnick says, "Irish-setter red" (it takes about 5 minutes to reach this stage), drop in the spices and, standing away from the pan, carefully pour in the water. When it boils, reduce the heat to very low and cook for 2 minutes.
• Strain the caramel into a heatproof container (discard the spices or use them for tea), and cool completely. You can keep the syrup covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. It will thicken; warm gently to reliquefy.

SPICED CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spread nuts on a small rimmed baking sheet, and bake until fragrant and beginning to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and let stand until cool. Coarsely chop; set aside.
• Line a baking sheet with a Silpat (a French nonstick baking mat); set aside. In a medium stockpot, heat oil over high heat. Add popcorn, and cover. Once the corn begins to pop, shake the pan constantly. When the corn has finished popping, remove from the heat, uncover; set aside.
• In a large deep pot, at least 12 inches wide, stir together water, sugar, and corn syrup. Add vanilla pod and seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat without stirring. Using a pastry brush dipped in water, brush down the sides of the pan to remove any undissolved sugar granules. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, tilting and swirling the pan, until the mixture just begins to smoke and is a deep caramel color, 4 to 5 minutes more.
• Stir in the popcorn and nuts. Cook, stirring, while moving the pot on and off the heat to prevent the caramel from burning, until the popcorn is completely coated and the mixture is deep mahogany in color. Pour onto prepared baking sheet, and spread in an even layer. Let cool. Remove and discard vanilla bean. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

SPICED SIMPLE SYRUP

Steps:

• Combine the sugar, 1 cup water, allspice, cloves, cinnamon and ginger in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook until the sugar is completely melted. Remove from the heat and let steep for 1 hour. Strain into a small bowl, cover and refrigerate until cold.

CINNAMON-SPICED CARAMEL CAKE

Steps:

• For stars:
• Spray inside of 4 star-shaped cookie cutters with nonstick spray. Oil baking sheet; place cutters on sheet. Combine sugar and 2 tablespoons water in heavy small saucepan over low heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil until syrup turns deep amber, brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan occasionally, about 4 minutes. Immediately pour thin layer of hot syrup inside each cookie cutter. Cool stars completely. Push stars out of cutters; wrap in foil. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Store at room temperature.)
• For syrup:
• Stir sugar and 1/3 cup water in heavy small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup turns deep amber color, brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan occasionally, about 7 minutes. Add 1/2 cup hot water (mixture will bubble up). Stir over low heat until hard bits dissolve. Cool caramel syrup.
• For cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line pans with waxed paper; butter paper. Sift first 4 ingredients into small bowl. Stir milk and butter in small saucepan over low heat just until butter melts; set aside.
• Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar in large bowl until thick enough for batter to fall in heavy ribbon when beaters are lifted, about 5 minutes. Beat in orange peel and vanilla. Add flour mixture; beat just until blended. Add warm milk mixture; beat just until blended. Divide batter between prepared pans.
• Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean and cakes begin to pull away from sides of pans, about 24 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 20 minutes. Cut around pan sides and turn cakes out onto racks; peel off paper. Turn cakes right side up. Using toothpick, poke holes in tops of cakes. Brush half of caramel syrup over each cake. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap cakes and let stand at room temperature.)
• For frosting:
• Combine all ingredients in large bowl; beat until firm peaks form. Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread 1 1/2 cups frosting over. Top with second layer. Spread frosting over top and sides. Chill at least 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; keep chilled.)
• Stand stars upright on cake. Serve cake cold or let stand up to 1 hour at room temperature before serving.

SPICED CARAMEL ORANGES

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan melt the sugar over moderate heat, stirring with a fork, and cook the syrup, swirling the pan occasionally, until it is a golden caramel. Remove the pan from the heat, pour the water carefully down the side of the pan, and add the cinnamon and the allspice. Return the pan to the heat and simmer the syrup until the caramel is dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat, add the rum carefully, and simmer the syrup for 5 minutes. Arrange the orange slices in a large bowl, pour the syrup over them, and let the oranges macerate, covered and chilled, for at least 2 hours or overnight. Serve the oranges at room temperature.

SPICED COFFEE ICE CREAM BOMBE WITH CARAMEL SYRUP

Steps:

• For ice cream: Line 9-cup charlotte mold or 9-inch-diameter soufflé dish with double-thick layers of plastic wrap, extending over sides; place mold in freezer.
• Mix half and half and cream in large saucepan; scrape in seeds from vanilla beans; add beans; bring to simmer; whisk yolks and sugar in large bowl to blend; gradually whisk in hot half and half mixture; return mixture to same saucepan and stir over medium-low heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 8 minutes (do not boil); strain into large bowl; dvide custard equally between 2 medium bowls; add espresso powder and spices to custard in 1 bowl, stirring until espresso powder dissolves; cover and chill both custards until cold.
• Process coffee-spice custard in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions; spoon ice cream into mold; using back of spoon and working quickly, spread ice cream over bottom and up sides of mold, leaving center hollow (you may need to freeze ice cream for a while if it becomes too soft and starts to melt down the sides before molding); feeze until firm, about 1 hour; using back of spoon, respread ice cream up sides of mold and even with top rim; place mold in freezer.
• Process plain custard in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions; add cookie crumbs during last 1 minute of processing; spoon ice cream into center of mold, filling completely (reserve any remaining ice cream for another use); cover bombe; freeze overnight (can be made up to 1 week ahead; keep frozen).
• For syrup: Stir sugar and ¼ cup water in medium saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves; increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup turns deep amber, occasionally swirling pan; add brandy and remaining 3 tblsps water (stand back!); stir over low heat until caramel syrup is smooth; cool (can be prepared 1 day ahead; cover tightly and let stand at room temperature).
• Whip cream in medium bowl to stiff peaks; spoon whipped cream into pastry bag fitted with medium star tip; unmold bombe onto serving plate; peel off plastic; pipe columns of cream up sides of bombe; pipe more cream on top of bombe; serve with syrup.

CARAMEL SYRUP

Steps:

• Heat sugar and 1 cup water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and comes to a boil. Continue cooking, brushing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush but without stirring, until mixture becomes golden amber in color.
• Immediately remove from heat and add 1 cup water. Return to heat and continue stirring until mixture becomes liquid. Transfer to a heatproof container and let cool completely before using.

SPICED CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• Place popcorn in a large bowl; set aside. In a large heavy saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 5 minutes without stirring., Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla and baking soda (mixture will foam). Quickly pour over popcorn and mix well., Transfer to two lightly greased 15x10x1-in. baking pans. Bake at 250° for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from pans and place on waxed paper to cool. Store in an airtight container.

SPICED CRèME CARAMEL

Steps:

• Place six 2/3-cup to 1-cup dariole molds or ramekins in a roasting pan or baking dish. Set oven temperature to 325, and place pan of molds in oven while it heats up; remove molds when oven is completely heated. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine milk and star anise. Place over medium heat until nearly boiling, then remove from heat and set aside.
• In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of the sugar with cinnamon and 2/3 cup water. Place over low heat and stir briefly, then leave until sugar is completely dissolved. Increase heat to medium high and, without stirring, bring to a vigorous boil. Allow syrup to foam and boil until brown and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes; do not stir. (When sugar is caramelized, it will have a slight burned aroma. To check color of syrup, dip in a wooden spoon and allow syrup to drip off; caramelized syrup will be dark golden brown.)
• Pour equal amounts of syrup into each warm mold. Using tongs or oven mitts, quickly swirl caramel around to coat a little of sides as well as bottom. Fill a kettle or pan with about 2 quarts of water, and bring to a boil.
• In a small bowl, combine eggs with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Whisk until smooth. Pour milk and star anise into egg mixture, and whisk again. Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a pitcher or bowl, then pour equal amounts into molds. Add enough boiling water into roasting pan to come about halfway up the outsides of molds. Place pan of molds in oven and bake just until set, about 40 minutes.
• Remove molds from water bath and allow to cool. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, preferably overnight. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least one hour before serving. To release créme caramels from molds, immerse bottoms of molds in hot water and shake gently, then invert over individual serving plates. Arrange equal portions of berries around each créme caramel, and serve.