🍬TASTY TREAT TUESDAY🔥 #3 - Smoked Duck Caramels

Sounds weird, but I promise they're really damn good.

It's getting a bit late, but I said I'd be back with a new TASTY TREAT TUESDAY, so here I am!

Back in FOODIE FRIDAY #6 I showed you how to prep a crispy BBQ duck, and how we usually have it in wraps. I mentioned a few times that you should use a tray to gather up all the fat drippings, because that stuff is liquid gold... flavor heaven, if you will! And now comes the time for me to show you one of our new favorite ways to use this amazing stuff: Smoked Duck Caramels!

Yes, they're a little different, but if you're into salty/sweet, or savoury/sweet, you are going to love these. I have to admit, to me, salted caramel is one of the best flavors ever, so I may be a little biased. But my kids also love these things... I'd even go so far as to say that little miss is a little obsessed. And wee man isn't much better.😅

If you aren't familiar with making caramel, or any sort of candy, don't worry, I've got enough pictures to help you along. (This means this post is pretty image heavy!!!) Are you ready? Here we go!

---

Firstly, you're going to want to prep the pan. Line an 8"x 8" pan with parchment paper, and grease the paper with butter.

Now take that reserved duck fat out of the fridge. You did remember to put it in the fridge, right? (I'm sure it'd be ok at room temperature for a day, but it can and will spoil, and no one wants rancid caramels.) It's solid, but very soft, so nice and easy to scoop and level for measuring.

Put your fat, cream, salt, and vanilla into a microwave-safe bowl.

Now you're going to want to heat it until it boils. I did this in 45 second intervals, stirring between each. (If you don't have/prefer not to use a microwave, you can totally do this in a small pot on the stove! I just like to cut corners where I can to save precious time.) Once it boils, give it a stir and set it to the side.

Then we are moving on to the tricky part, the sugar. Measure the water, corn syrup, and sugar into a large saucepan, then put it on med-hi heat.

You'll want to stir until the sugar crystals are dissolved, then stop stirring!

Once it comes to a boil, you'll want to give it a swirl from time to time, to even out the heat distribution, and check on the color. (Here's where this may be tricky - I prefer the taste of golden syrup, so that's what I use, but it can make it tough to see when the sugar starts to change color and caramelize. If you are uneasy, please feel free to sub light aka clear syrup!)

Near the beginning the bubbles will be large, and let off some steam.

Once things get really working, the bubbles will get a lot smaller, and the mixture will start to darken. You're going for a deep golden, not quite brown. If you're using light syrup, you just want to watch for a golden color. Swirl it together as needed, to even it all out. DO NOT let it get too dark - once it starts to caramelize, sugar will burn fairly quickly. Burnt sugar does not taste OR smell good.

I'm happy with the looks and smell of this, so now we are going to add in that first mixture, with the cream and fat. It is going to BUBBLE... like, it's going to go CRAZY! I had a slight mess, because I chose to use one hand to document, rather than making sure to stir it in right away. You are going to want to use a long-handled, heat-resistant whisk or spatula, and stir, stir, stir, while you slowly pour it in.

Once you've got it all stirred together, you're going to use a candy thermometer on the side of the saucepan, and stir until it reaches 248F.

Then we take it off the heat, and pour it into the prepared pan. The last little bit tends to be fairly bubbly, which gives the caramel more crunch, so I like to try and press out the bubbles as I scrape the bottom. (That's what the light streaks are - the more bubbly stuff from the bottom of the pot.)

Remember this is HOT so please don't be tempted to lick the spatula!

Now you want to let it set. I like to put it in the fridge for an hour or better. They'll get pretty hard in there, so you may want to let them sit out a bit before trying to cut them. While the pan is sitting out, sprinkle the top with some salt. I like to use kosher salt, because it's a milder taste, and the larger flake looks pretty. Himalayan pink salt would work great too.

I only salted half, because I've got a little bonus planned for the other half.

Be sure to butter your knife, and cut them into approx 1" square. (I kind of like cutting them while hard, because then they don't stick to the knife quite so much... but it can be a bit hard on the hand.)

Here's the little bonus I was talking about - the other half of the caramels are even more decadent, thanks to a lovely chocolate topping! I just melted some semisweet chocolate, spread it over them, and sprinkled the top with a little salt. You'll want to pop them back into the fridge for a few to let the chocolate set, before cutting through it.

Now that they're salted and cut, the only thing left to do is wrap them. I cut squares of parchment paper, rolled them up, and twisted the ends. You could probably skip this step, and just keep them in an airtight container, but be sure to separate them some, because they have a tendency to stick back together. We like to wrap them, so it's easy to just grab and go.

---

The Recipe:

(Adapted from here)

1 cup heavy/whipping cream
5 tablespoons duck fat
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup (I like golden, you could sub light)
1/4 cup water
3 tsp salt (I like kosher, could sub sea salt, or Himalayan.)

Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, then butter the parchment.
Put cream, duck fat, vanilla, and 1 tsp salt in microwave safe bowl, heat for 45 seconds at a time, until it comes to a boil, set aside.
Boil sugar, corn syrup, and water in a large saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil, without stirring but gently swirling pan, until mixture is a deep golden caramel. (If using light syrup, look for a light golden caramel color.)
Carefully stir cream/fat mixture into the caramelized sugar (mixture will bubble up - watch out for the steam and splattering) and simmer, stirring frequently, until caramel registers 248 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Pour into prepared pan and cool 45-60 min.
If you cool it in the fridge, take it out and let it rest on the counter for 10-15 min. Sprinkle the top with the remaining salt, and cut into 1-inch pieces with a buttered knife.
Wrap each piece in a 3-4" square of parchment or wax paper, and twist the ends closed.

I like to store them in the fridge, to make sure they stay fresh, and also because I like them a little firm. If you like a soft caramel, be sure to set them out for a few min before digging in.

---

If you're interested in more goodies, take a look back at the other TASTY TREATS I've shared:
🍩TASTY TREAT TUESDAY🤤 #1 - Bourbon Pecan Pie
🍪TASTY TREAT TUESDAY🎅#2 - Chewy Molasses Crinkle Cookies

---

Have you ever made caramels before? Or have you used duck fat in your cooking? I'd love to hear your experiences!

I highly recommend both. Not the healthiest of options, but a damn good treat now and then! If you've never tried using duck fat in place of oil for hash browns or french fries, you are seriously missing out.

Bon Appétit

Megan