Salted soy sauce caramel bites

Makes A 10x15cm SLAB Desserts and puddings

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Method

Line a 10x15cm baking tin or container with baking paper and lightly grease it with vegetable oil.

Put the double cream, milk, soy sauce and vanilla bean paste in a small pan. Put the pan over a low heat to gently warm the mixture, making sure it doesn’t boil.

Put the sugar, jocheong, lemon juice and 1tbsp water in a heavy-based pan and swirl the pan around a little so the sugar is saturated in liquid. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat without disturbing the pan too much, then simmer for 5-7 minutes until the sugar turns golden brown and reaches 125C.

Carefully stir the warm cream and milk mixture into the sugar mixture and simmer steadily over a low heat for around 20 minutes to caramelise, stirring frequently to prevent it sticking to the bottom of the pan. When it’s ready, you should notice small bubbles erupting as it thickens, the colour should darken to a shade of butterscotch and the temperature should be 125C. You can also check it is ready by dropping a small amount of mixture into a bowl of cold water. If it holds its shape firmly and doesn’t make the water murky, it’s done. Stir in the butter to incorporate, then remove from the heat.

Carefully pour the caramel into the prepared tin or container, wiggling it a little to help the caramel spread. Sprinkle the top with a good pinch of salt. Leave to cool slightly, then transfer to the fridge to set for 4-6 hours.

Remove from the fridge and slice the caramel with a sharp knife into 2cm squares. Wrap individually in parchment paper, if you like, and store in the fridge in an airtight container lined with lightly greased paper to keep them separate until ready to serve.