Add Sour Cream to the Caramel Sauce
I am always looking for excuses to pour sour cream into and around my mouth. I use it the usual way (tacos, nachos, sauces), but also, as you know, add it to the leftover pasta (yes, even tomato sauce!) And season my face with Doritos nacho cheese. This is why it surprises me that I never thought of adding it to caramel.
Caramel has three main flavors: sweet, brown (but not burnt), and buttery. The latter two make it less sugary than plain syrup, but the sour cream adds a bright dose of lactic acid, giving your caramel sauce even more volume. This is especially useful if you need a sauce for a rich, ultra-sweet dessert, as this extra flavor can help overcome dominant aromas.
There are many sour cream caramel recipes out there, so I may be the last to know, but now my mission is to spread the good news. My favorite dish turned out to be very simple from Portland chef Jenn Louis. (It also comes in the form of an Instagram post, which worries me a lot.)
Since I don’t need two rather large cans of caramel sauce, I cut this recipe in half, resulting in the two small cans you see in the top photo. I used salted butter (because that’s all I ever had) and I ended up adding a pinch of salt anyway. The result is a sauce with a deliciously spicy surprise at the end. At first you will think that “this is the caramel that I know and love”, but then a little sour cream will come in at the end, violating your palate and your very idea of what a caramel sauce should do. It’s also a great way to use up the last half cup of sour cream if you don’t want to dip it in your mouth along with Doritos nacho cheese.
To make it you will need:
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (double if using unsalted butter)
Add sugar to a saucepan and heat over medium heat, shaking gently if necessary to melt and caramelize evenly (do not stir). Once it turns into a beautiful medium-dark amber, remove it from heat and gently add the sour cream (it will foam), stirring with a wooden spoon. Add remaining ingredients and serve warm or at room temperature with cakes, fruit, or ice cream.