Serves: 4
I think caramel miso sauce might well be my new addiction. Salted caramel is pretty good but the addition of white miso adds an intriguing layer of flavour to a caramel sauce. I have paired it here with poached pears but you could just make the sauce and pour it over ice cream if you didn’t want to bother with the fruit.
Ingredients
- For the caramel miso
- 190g caster sugar
- 300ml double cream
- 3 tablespoons white miso paste
- For the pears
- 200g caster sugar
- 4 ripe pears, peeled
- 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
Method
- For the caramel miso, place the sugar in a saucepan and add 90ml water. Over a low heat bring the liquid to the boil, swirling the pan to make sure the sugar is dissolving. When the sugar has dissolved turn the heat up and boil until the liquid turns a deep biscuity brown. Don’t stir at all or the sugar will crystallise but swirl the pan around to ensure it caramelises evenly. Once you have a golden brown caramel immediately take off the heat and pour in the cream. Be careful when you do this because the sauce will bubble up and spit. Stir over a very low heat to dissolve the caramel lumps. When smooth stir in the miso paste. Leave at room temperature to cool. You can make the sauce in advance and refrigerate but you will need to warm it through for a pouring consistency.
- For the pears, use a saucepan that is just big enough to hold the pears. Place the sugar, 650ml water and the vanilla pod in the saucepan and bring to the boil, making sure the sugar has dissolved. Add the pears and cover the top with a disc of greaseproof paper. Simmer the pears for about 1 hour or until there is a bit of give in the flesh when prodded. Take off the heat and leave the pears to cool in the liquid. When cold lift out and serve each pear smothered in the caramel miso sauce with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.