Name: Miso Caramel Sauce
Total time: PLACEHOLDER
Ingredients: 1 cup heavy cream; ¼ cup white miso; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1¾ cups (12¼ ounces/347 grams) sugar; ½ cup water; ¼ cup light corn syrup

Why This Recipe Works

This miso caramel delivers the silky texture and deep flavor of classic caramel sauce with a rich, savory twist. We started by blending the miso into the cream along with the vanilla. This simple step ensured that the paste-like miso fully incorporated, yielding a smooth, luxurious sauce. For the caramel base, we combined sugar with water and corn syrup; the water helped the sugar dissolve evenly, and the corn syrup prevented crystallization. Cooking the mixture over two heat levels—first high, then low—gave us better control over the color and flavor. Using an instant-read thermometer was a failproof way to assess the caramel’s doneness; once the sugar reached between 360 and 370 degrees, we stirred in the miso cream for a sauce that’s sweet, salty, and deeply umami.

Before You Begin

We really like using ¼ of our Smoked Miso here in place of the white miso. Serve this over ice cream, cake, cobblers, or crisps.

Instructions

Blend 1 cup heavy cream, ¼ cup white miso, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth, about 1 minute; set aside.

Bring 1¾ cups (12¼ ounces/347 grams) sugar, ½ cup water, and ¼ cup light corn syrup to boil in large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, without stirring, until mixture is straw-colored, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, swirling saucepan occasionally, until mixture is amber-colored and registers between 360 and 370 degrees, 2 to 5 minutes longer.

Off heat, quickly but carefully stir in miso-cream mixture (mixture will bubble and steam). Continue to stir until sauce is smooth, about 1 minute. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. Reheat in microwave, stirring frequently, until warm and smooth.)