Cook-Along Recipe: Blueberry Caramel Sauce

Blueberry caramel sauce recipe, easy and delicious, and in about five months local too! In the meantime, the Accidental Locavore had gotten a big container of blueberries, and decided to put them to use as a dessert for the corned beef and cabbage Charcutepalooza dinner. Come summer this recipe will be made with local blueberries and my own ice cream, but since it’s still March and the sugar for the caramel will never be local…

This recipe for blueberry caramel sauce is adapted from Gordon Hamersley’s Bistro Cooking at Home. It’s easy and quick and makes a lot (2 1/2 cups). He suggests serving it with a peach galette, but I went straight for vanilla ice cream. My friend took some home, and we were wondering how it would be over waffles or pancakes. What do you think?

• 3 cups sugar
• 2 cups blueberries, washed
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup or more to taste, fresh lime juice
  
• optional: 2 tablespoons butter (I was fooling around and added the butter, figuring it couldn’t hurt)

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, cook the sugar to a light amber color. Cook it slowly and stir it to keep it from cooking too fast and getting a burnt taste. The sugar might harden, just keep cooking and stirring it until it smooths out. Add the blueberries and water to the cooked sugar. Be careful! The caramel will bubble and steam, so don’t stand right over the pot. The sauce will harden up because you’re adding cold berries, but will remelt as it heats up. Cover the pan and reduce to low. Simmer until most of the blueberries have popped, about 5 minutes. Remove the lid and stir to dissolve any lumps of caramel. Remove from the heat and strain the sauce to remove the blueberry skins and any hardened bits of caramel. Return to a saucepan, add the lime juice, and butter if you’re using it. You may also want to add a little salt to balance the flavor. Cook over medium-high heat until the sauce has reduced and isn’t too runny. Serve at room temperature or slightly warm. Enjoy!

If your pan has hardened sugar on it the best way to clean it is to fill it with enough water to cover the hardened sugar. Heat it, stirring occasionally until the sugar is melted, then it will clean up easily.