Vegan Caramel

[Caramel]

...would you believe that I've never made caramel from scratch before...I've made caramel icing but it was made with brown sugar...

...and there's something just a little bit scary about working with molten sugar...but it's really simple...all you do is put some regular sugar (ours is organic beet sugar)...but Julia says you can use crushed sugar lumps for some strange reason...I can't imagine why anyone would do that...and oddly she doesn't explain...

...just swirl over medium high heat until the sugar is dissolved...

...and the liquid is perfectly clear...

...then cover the pan...Julia says the water condensing on the cover will wash the sugar crystals off the sides of the pan...

...keep peeking until the syrup turns a nutty brown...

...then remove from heat immediately... ...this was easier than I thought it would be...and now I know how to make caramel... Substitutions: none - it's just sugar and water...

Recipe here: Mastering the Art of French Cooking

pp. 583-584