As I look back, it seems that almost every recipe I’ve shared has had bourbon in it, but I assure you, I am fully capable of cooking without booze in the recipe – and the cook!
I’ve been wanting to try my hand at caramels for a while now, and it was only recently that I started checking recipes. I found a good one in either the November or December issue of Bon Appétit magazine. 
My main worry as I started this was the horrific story that my ex-mate in Wales’s son told me, as he showed me the most gawd-awful scars on his arm. He’d spilled some boiling sugar down his arm and had third degree burns. I can barely type it without flinching and so I was extra careful throughout the process.
It all starts quietly enough, but once sugar gets to a boil, it’s like napalm, and it sticks to your skin.
Gradually, the sugar solution began to change to a deeper amber colour,
Once that happened, I added the butter and milk, and like all of the recipes say, it does boil and rumble a bit.
The one piece of advice I got from everyone was to watch the temperature like a hawk, as the difference between soft ball stage (240*F) and hard ball (260*F) is a matter of seconds.
I added the bourbon and the Maldon Salt and then poured the caramel onto a prepared pan.
After it cooled a bit, I cut it into squares, which I later cut into smaller squares.
To make it a bit easier to cut, I used the butter wrapper to grease the edge of a pizza cutter so it would glide through the caramel.
Then I wrapped each piece in waxed paper. I tried using the parchment paper, but it was too stiff.
I drove around and dropped off samples at some friends’ houses and got rave reviews from all. Of course, I am pretty sure that the next batch I make will be different due to atmospheric pressure and other vagaries of cooking. However, I deem this recipe a big success and plan to make it for the holidays!
On another note, poor Connor has a hot spot, so I had to put him in the cone of shame. Doesn’t he look pitiful?
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