FOOD SPECIAL........................ Caramel creations

Caramel creations  Caramel has extended its scope beyond desserts. The bittersweet ingredient is making an entry into appetisers and mains in haute cuisine     Caramel, in simple terms, is melted sugar which has a characteristic flavour and colour. In different stages of caramelisation, sugar tends to take varied avatars. The best thing about caramel is that, unlike sugar, it has a certain persona. It gives you more than just sweetness; it can be bitter, salty and nutty too. Naturally, it can add a lot of drama to your dish.     “Anyone with a sweet tooth will agree that caramel gives the right kind of sweetness to a dish, just like honey. Too much sugar or sweetness can put off a lot of people but caramel can have you licking your plate off. It enhances the taste of a dish to a great extent and hence is greatly being used in cooking,” says chef Saransh Goila.     Caramelisation generates many flavour compounds and one of the most important compounds is Diacetyl. Amit Kumar Suri, chef de cuisine, Seasonal Tastes explains, “Diacetyl is generated during the initial stages of caramelisation and imparts the butterscotch flavour, which is one of the characteristic flavours in caramelised foods. It is used for flavouring puddings and desserts, as a filling in bonbons, and as a topping for ice cream, custards, and caramel corn.”     Caramel is no longer an ingredient that only caters to your sweet tooth; chefs across the globe are playing around with caramel by incorporating it in appetisers as well as mains.     There are crazy ways one can use caramel in cooking. “It can be used as a glaze for something intensely salty and savoury as bacon or even a burger. Dishes like roast chicken and roast duck are traditionally coated with caramel to seal the heat inside the bird,” says chef Mitesh Rangras, Aoi. Caramel is a multi-utility ingredient. Apart from adding taste to your dips. it can enhance the look of a dish and can be used as spreads, toppings, and as a sauce to substitute sugar.  TIPS TO KEEP IN MIND  WHILE COOKING CARAMEL Although it’s not difficult to caramelise sugar, if you haven’t done it before, it can get tricky. It might take a couple of tries before you’re comfortable taking it to the right degree of darkness: a deep amber liquid, on the edge of burnt, but still sweet in flavour. Things to remember when cooking caramel: Because cookware and heat sources don’t always distribute heat evenly, you need to stand guard during the entire process, encouraging the sugar to cook at an even rate. Watch out for recrystallisation — what happens when sugar crystals join together in a lumpy mass. You can avoid recrystallisation by making sure that the sugar is free of impurities and that the pan used to cook the caramel is clean. Be vigilant to avoid burning the caramel. The melted sugar should be cooked until it’s a deep amber colour — it’s done when it starts to smoke and begins to foam a bit. At this point, it should be removed from the heat immediately. You can also quickly add liquid to halt the cooking. After making caramel, to clean the pan and dissolve any stuck-on bits, either soak it in warm water or fill the pan with water, bring it to a boil, and continue boiling until the caramel dissolves. SALTED CARAMEL PARATHA Ingredients: For paratha: Wheat flour: 2 cups I Ajwain (carom seeds): 1 tbsp I Red chilli powder: 1 tbsp I Besan: 1 tbsp I Salt: To taste I Oil: 1 cup I Ghee: 1 cup I Water: 2 cups For caramel sauce: Granulated sugar: 2 cups I Water: 50 ml I Butter: 12 tbsp I Cream: 1 cup I Sea salt: 1 tbsp Method: For parathas: In a large bowl, mix wheat flour, salt, besan, red chilli powder, ajwain and 1 tbsp oil. Mix well. Pour water and knead into a soft dough. Heat a tawa and melt the ghee. Now take out equal portions of the dough. Shape and flatten them to make parathas. Spread ghee on each side . Cook the parathas on both sides till they turn golden brown. For the sauce: Mix the water and sugar for the caramel in a saucepan. Place it over medium heat. Stir continuously until the sugar melts into a liquid. Once the sugar has melted and is turning to dark brown, proceed with caution, since you need to add butter at this stage. As soon as the caramel turns brown, add the butter all at once. Whisk the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly pour the cream into the caramel. Again, be careful because the mixture will once again bubble up ferociously. Whisk until all of the cream has been incorporated and you have a smooth sauce. Add sea salt and mix nicely. Now spread this salty caramel sauce on the spicy paratha and serve hot.  Shikha Shah TL131117