BASIC CARAMEL SAUCE

BASIC CARAMEL SAUCE
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
In a heavy-bottomed pan with high sides, place sugar, lemon juice and 1/4 cup of water. Turn heat to medium-high and bring mixture to a boil, swirling pan occasionally or stirring to maintain even cooking.
Cook sugar until it turns a deep bronze, about 8 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.
Pour cream all at once into the hot sugar. Be careful, as the mixture will bubble and froth. Stir with wooden spoon until the sauce is smooth and combined and has stopped boiling. Add salt and if you are adding flavoring, stir that in as well.
Pour sauce into a glass bowl, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer. The sauce will cool down, develop flavors and thicken to the right consistency; if you let it cool down completely and it becomes too thick, put it in the microwave briefly or in a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water until the sauce is pourable.
Servings: 1 cup.
Total time: 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes chilling time.
Each tablespoon: 74 calories; 0.15 gram protein; 13 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 3 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 10 milligrams cholesterol; 38 milligrams sodium.