Butterscotch used to be my least favorite sundae topping. Ok, maybe it was tied for last place with strawberry sauce, but hot fudge or butterscotch? Caramel or butterscotch? No contest. Most commercial butterscotch sauce is so sweet it short-circuits your taste buds and makes your teeth hurt –and it’s not very buttery (or Scotchy) at all. And for me, at least, those butterscotch chips meant for baking are even worse.
But real butterscotch you make at home is wonderful, and it may explain why the stuff made it onto sundae menus in the first place. It’s a close cousin of salted caramel, but it’s more complex, and, I think, even more addictive. The flavor of browned butter is more pronounced than in a caramel, and the addition a bit of whisky or dark rum and a little lemon juice gives its flavor depth and an interesting balance. If you’re going to serve your butterscotch to small children, though, you might want to omit the booze and double the vanilla. It’ll be very nearly as good, and you’ll have no worries about tipsy kids.
Recipe
(adapted from “Butterscotch Sauce” in Saveur, February 12, 2008. Makes about 2 cups.)
Ingredients
1/4 pound (115g) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
3/4 cup (175ml) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (60ml) brown sugar
1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream
2 teaspoons dark rum, bourbon or Scotch whisky
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
1. Heat the butter, corn syrup and 1/4 cup (60ml) water in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the butter has melted.
2. Stir in both sugars and scrape down the sides of the pan with a rubber spatula. Without stirring further, bring the mixture to a boil over medium-low heat. Cook (it will bubble gently) until it’s medium brown, 6-8 minutes. (If you have a candy thermometer and are inclined to use it, cook until it reads 245F (118C), but this level of precision isn’t really necessary here.)
3. Remove from the heat. Slowly add the cream, booze, vanilla, salt and lemon juice. Stir. Taste and adjust the salt, lemon and spirits, if necessary. (If you’re not using alcohol, you will probably want to add up to another teaspoon of vanilla.) If the sauce tastes a little harsh, don’t worry — the flavors will marry and mellow as it cools.
4. Cool to room temperature before serving. Serve over ice cream, or toasted pound cake with pears, or a brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or off of a spoon.
The butterscotch will keep in the fridge for at least a week –if you hide it well.
