Holy Cow! Caramel

Ina Garten's Caramel Sauce, from the Food Network

I idolize Ina Garten. 

When I was young, and didn't know to appreciate things.

She bored me.

Seriously bored me.

I didn't get her.

Now I'm grown up and mature  and I have seen the errors of my ways and I'm just here to say that Ina Garten R.O.C.K.S!

I think I'd rather meet her over Paula Deen.

Serious!

The other day, I caught the very end of her making a "basic caramel sauce."

I didn't know there was a "basic caramel sauce."

This stuff looked like a pot of gold just waiting to be devoured!

Get the biggest, prettiest serving spoon a girl can handle and scoop out a glop of that stuff and eat it up! 

I'm just saying, this stuff is probably not safe in my refrigerator if I'm at home by myself!

This sauce will make a perfect gift anytime of the year!

So I made the sauce.

The recipe is listed below.

I made it twice.

Failed both times.

Failed.

But I'm listing the recipe, because maybe one of you can succeed.

Let me know.

Ina's Caramel Sauce

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/3 cup water

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Mix 1/3 cup water and the sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan.  

Cook, without stirring, over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium and boil uncovered until the sugar turns a warm chestnut brown (about 350 degrees F on a candy thermometer), 5 to 7 minutes, gently swirling the pan to stir the mixture.

Be careful; the mixture is extremely hot! Watch the mixture constantly at the end, as it will go from caramel to burnt very quickly.

Turn off the heat. Stand back to avoid splattering and slowly add the cream and vanilla. The cream will bubble violently and the caramel will solidify.

Don't worry!

Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until the caramel dissolves and the sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours. It will thicken as it sits