Turkey Gravy Salted Caramels

This is me, creepin up behind you while you’re whisking together your Thanksgiving gravy tomorrow.  This is me, whispering in your ear as you’re pouring gravy into the gravy boat.  This is me, asking to lick the gravy spoon.  This is me, encouraging you to set aside (hide, really) some Thanksgiving gravy to transform into salty-sweet caramels this coming weekend.  

WHAT?  

Yes.  

Turkey gravy, in all of its savory saltiness, in a CANDY.  It’s possible, it’s delightful, it’s inspired by the Detroit ladies of BonBon Chocolate.  

Think about it.  You love a salted caramel. What if that salted caramel had a little more life, more umph, was feelin’ a little extra?  

Listen, this time of year is no time for kale juice.  We’re here to put gravy in our candy and brag about it. 

Ok, here’s the thing.  Making candy (we’re totally making candy) can feel intimidating.  I feel it too! We’re boiling sugar to different temperatures and that’s always an adventure.  Here’s what you’ll need (besides courage): 

•  In a small pan: heavy cream, turkey gravy, butter and salt.  Yup.

•  In a larger pan: granulated sugar, corn syrup, and water.

•  To finish:  vanilla extract and flaked sea salt.  

We’ve got this!

This recipe for chewy caramels start by combining the ingredients of two hot pots.

In the first pot we’ll melt butter in heavy cream.  

We’ll add salt to the buttery cream. 

And!  We’ll add turkey gravy.  I used store bought turkey gravy for this round of testing and photography.  It’s lighter in color and flavor than a darker homemade gravy.  If you’re gravy is very dark, rich, and salty, you could decrease the amount of gravy in this recipe to 1/4 or 1/3 cup.  

Heat the cream, butter, gravy and salt until the butter is melted and the mixture is steamy.  It can be removed from the heat but keep it close.  We’ll add it, with care, to our boiling sugar.  

Now for the second pot of hot!

To a larger pot (I used a 4 qt saucepan) we’ll add sugar.  

You’ll want to use a larger pot because the mixture will bubble up and boil once the cream is added.  

To the sugar we’ll add water and corn syrup.

Now… I only had dark corn syrup on hand.  I would prefer light corn syrup so that’s what I’ve indicated in the recipe below.  If you only have dark corn syrup on hand, I’m a believer in using what you’ve got.  Ya feel me? 

BOIL that sugar. 

The bubbles will start on the edges of the pan and work their way inward before the whole mixture is furiously boiling. 

It should go without saying that we don’t want this mixture anywhere near our bare skin. 

Some notes:

•  Use a candy thermometer to measure the temperature of this initial sugar boil.  We want the temperature to reach at least 250 degrees F, but not to exceed 325 degrees F before adding the cream. 

•  Make sure that the bulb of the candy thermometer (the part that measures the temperature) is immersed in the sugar syrup.  You might need to tilt the thermometer to get a read.  

•  Don’t stir the  boiling sugar.  Use a wet pastry brush to brush any sugar graduals from the side of the pan so they don’t burn.  

When the sugar syrup comes to temperature, briefly remove it from the flame and quickly / gently stir in the cream, butter, gravy mixture. 

Now it’s time for another boil! 

We’ll add the candy thermometer and bring the mixture back to 245 to 250 degrees.  I found that over medium-high heat, my caramel mixture stalled at about 225 degrees F.  It just takes patience and faith, but the temperature will rise without stirring. 

Remove the boiling mixture from the heat once it comes to temperature and stir in the vanilla extract. 

Quickly pour the hot caramel into a parchment lined, well-greased baking pan.  

Almost there!  We just need time to set! 

We’ll let the caramel come to room temperature an cover it lightly.

I think it’s best if the caramel sets overnight, but give it a few hours at least before slicing it. 

Before slicing, I like an additional aggressive sprinkling of flaked sea salt. 

We’ll use a greased knife to slice the chewy and crisp caramels and wrap them in waxed paper.  

Can you taste the turkey gravy?

Well… you can’t not taste it!  The gravy adds a savory, salty, umami flavor to the caramels.  Once you tell people they have turkey gravy in them, their eyes light up with recognition but without knowledge, these are just deliciously salty sweet caramels.  

I like to store them in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

Some notes about this recipe: 

•  The base of this recipe is from The Kitchn. They have some great advice about cooking times and ratios if you find yourself feeling perplexed.  

•  A candy thermometer is a non-negotiable for this recipe.  We need to cook the caramel to certain temperatures to get the consistency right.

•  Taste your gravy before adding it to your creamy mixture just so you can gauge how much salt you’d like to add to the base and the top.  Every gravy is different. 

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