When I was in college, I went up to Asheville with a friend one autumn weekend. We wandered into the farmer's market and it was there that I was first introduced to fresh mountain apples. I felt so cheated. Where have these been my whole life?!
This year I took Eli to the Annual Apple Festival in Hendersonville, North Carolina. We saw the sights and wandered the streets, having a lovely time.
But if I'm honest about it, I know we were mostly there to sample all things apple...
Eli and I finally decided to get several things we could share -- fresh cider, churned-before-your-eyes apple ice cream, and apple slices with caramel sauce.
The cider? Very good. The ice cream? Two thumbs up. The apple slices? Ugh. Those were regular old grocery store apples, I'm pretty sure. (Did you know most grocery store apples are 10 to 14 months old before you get them?!) The caramel sauce was sugary and thin too. Luckily, I knew how to remedy my disappointment.
A few miles down the road I stopped at an apple stand I'd frequented many times before. They had fresh Mutsu apples, one of my favorite varieties. And once I got home, I dug into my recipe files for Buttermilk Essential Syrup.
Huh? Butter-wha?
I know. Buttermilk seems to have nothing to do with caramel and the syrup I'm talking about is designed for pancakes, waffles, and other baked goods. But if you increase the boiling time until closer to three minutes, it will give you the best caramel sauce you've ever had -- buttery, flavorful, and smooth. After dipping some slices of fresh Mutsu apple into it, my brother-in-law said, "I'm almost fifty years old and I've never liked caramel much, but you just changed my mind."
We had some family over on Labor Day weekend and I ended up making three batches of the stuff. Every time I turned around, the bowl of caramel was empty again.
The great thing is that this recipe is super easy. (In fact, my 6th grade nephew made a batch on his own without any coaching. Good job, Shane!) There's no candy thermometer involved and no guesswork. Try it. You won't be sorry.
Pioneer Woman, Tasty Kitchen Blog:
http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2011/06/essential-buttermilk-syrup/
(We added a little cinnamon and nutmeg to ours. And if you're craving apple goodness in the fall like I do, try these Apple Oatmeal Pancakes with a little of that syrup.)
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