Is the caramel recipe wrong, or is it my technique?
Twice now, I've made the "Ultimate Tarte Tatin" recipe from the Food Network site. In both cases, the crust and apples worked out perfectly.
And in both cases, the caramel seemed to come together before adding the apples, but never really firmed up and remained a thin liquid throughout the cooking process and afterwards. Tasty, but not really caramel at all, and not a successful pie.
The caramel is 3/4 cup sugar + 2 tbsp water, and 1/2 stick butter. The instructions are brief, probably fine if you know what you're doing. I'm a caramel novice.
Any suggestions on better or more specific ratios, or more-foolproof techniques, would be appreciated.
Best Answer
The viscosity of the caramel could also vary with the type of apples used. Apples with high water content will dilute the caramel more when your pie cooks. Unfortunately I have no facts regarding water contents of different varieties of apple.
Yet another variable is the age of the apples. Newly picked apples will contain more water than if they have been sitting in the store or in a warehouse for weeks/months. Apples keep for a long time if stored properly. Eventually they wrinkle and will then contain considerably less water than when they were fresh.
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What can go wrong when making caramel?
What's Going Wrong With Your Homemade CaramelWhat is the trick to making caramel?
The melted sugar should be cooked until it's a deep amber colour \u2014 it's done when it starts to smoke and begins to foam just a little bit. At this point, it should be removed from the heat immediately to stop the sugar from darkening any further.How should caramel look when cooking?
As the temperature continues to climb with more cooking, even more sugar molecules break down and the caramel will begin to taste markedly more complex and less sweet. Eventually more and more bitter, potent-tasting molecules will form that, if left unchecked, can make the caramel taste acrid and burnt.How to Make Caramel (Troubleshooting Guide)
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Answer 2
I like the recipe from Gourmet magazine because I don't have to try to stand apples up in hot caramel. It uses the same amount of butter, less sugar, and no water. Works for me every time.
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