Can someone give me tips on making a hard caramelized sugar glaze?!
Answers: I'm making a Croquembouche (french for "crunch in the mouth) for a class project. If you aren't familiar with Croqumebouche, it's french creampuffs stacked into a cone and covered/held together with a hard caramel glaze and spun sugar. I've never made caramel before and I know that sugar can burn easily and that you have to get it to a certain temperature to make it a hard glaze versus a soft caramel. Is there any tips I should know about making it and working with it? How necessary is it to use a candy thermometer? I don't have one.
For the caramel, take your sugar and add water and a little bit of corn syrup. Place it over a low to medium heat. Wash down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush. If you don't, you will have crystals of sugar on the sides of the pan which will cause a chain reaction in the molten sugar which will cause it to crystallize, and all your hard work will go into the nearest garbage can.
The caramel color is what you are going for. After 212F the water will boil off and then the sugar will start to turn color; this is where the flavor of "caramel" comes from. I am going to assume that the recipe says to take the sugar to a "hard crack" stage, or some equally interestingly named stage. You can either use a candy thermometer, or use a bowl of ice water. If you use the ice water, take some of the sugar on the tip of a spoon and drop the sugar off of the spoon into the water. It will go directly to the bottom. Immediately remove the sugar from the water and feel it. If you can snap the sugar like a piece of glass, then you are at the hard crack stage.
In order to make sure that you don't over cook, when the sugar is at whatever stage you want it, take the pan off of the stove and place in an ice bath (called shocking). This will stop the residual heat from the pan from continuing the cooking process. You don't shock, you WILL burn.
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The recipe with the corn syrup will be much better to use because the corn syrup will prevent the sugar in the mixture from accidentally recrystallizing while it is cooking. It will have the same flavor and texture as the other one without the risk of having to start over. For either recipe here are the steps.
This is for 4 cups of sugar and 2 cups of water.
1. Divide sugar and water (and corn syrup) between 2 shallow saucepans and stir to mix. You may use either of the instructions below to prepare the caramel:
* First method; Cover pan and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Then remove the pan lid and continue cooking until the sugar syrup turns amber, about 5 to 10 minutes. DO NOT STIR or it can recrystalize and you will have to start over. You can swirl but not stir. Remove from heat and place on a heat-proof surface near your work (dessert assembly) area. By covering the pan the steam will wash down the sides of the pan so that any crystals will wash down.
* Second method; Place pan over medium heat, let the sugar warm and begin to dissolve. Allow sugar and water to gently boil until the sugar begins to change color. During this time, brush the inner-sides of the pot with a pastry brush dipped in cold water to prevent any build-up of sugar crystals. As soon as the sugar begins to change color (This is a hard-crack stage and occurs at 300 to 310° F.) remove from stove and place on a heatproof surface near your work (dessert assembly) area.
Here's a recipe for a different type of caramel sauce:
Caramel Sauce
Cook Time: 3 Hours Ready In: 3 Hours
Yields: 14 servings
"Just boil that condensed milk right in the can and presto chango -- caramel!"
INGREDIENTS:
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened
condensed milk
DIRECTIONS:
1. Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Place the can of milk, unopened, in the boiling water. Cover and let simmer 3 hours, topping off water as needed and turning the can every half hour to prevent scorching. Carefully open can and serve.