CookingWithPam ... Creamy Caramel Syrup recipe from the kitchen of Pamela Rice Hahn

	Creamy Caramel Syrup
			What's that in that can and what turned it that color? Check out this recipe to find out. You won't believe how easy it is to make this delicious caramel syrup. The uses and variations (like chocolate-caramel and coffee-flavored caramel) are endless!
	I first saw this syrup made on the FoodTV cable channel. First I had to try it to see if it really worked. Then, not able to leave well enough alone, I modified it to where I believe it's much better. (Sorry, Tyler. I'm being as humble as I know how.) As you read this recipe, you'll have to trust me that the cautionary instructions almost take longer to read than it'll take you to make this syrup. Ingredients: 1 can sweetened condensed milk 1/8 cup milk 1 teaspoon (or more) pure vanilla Place the can of sweetened condensed milk in a heavy pan, deep enough to cover the can with water. Then, bring the water to a boil and boil for 2 hours, adding more water as necessary. Yep! You heard (well, read) right. You don't open the can. You don't just boil the contents. You leave the contents securely sealed inside its own little can and boil the whole shebang! Now comes the important part. Follow these instructions as given; otherwise, you could have an explosion on your hands. Not to mention causing harm to yourself and others around watching what you're doing, and make one awful mess in your kitchen! Remove the pan from the heat. (I have a stainless steel sink, so once it cooled for a little bit, I set the pan with the can still in the water into the sink. Use your judgment and caution to determine how soon you feel you can do this.) Next I ran cold water into pan, allowing it to displace the hot water in the pan. Over the next few minutes, I periodically flushed the pan with more cold water. If you're more coordinated than I am, you can simply remove the can from the boiling water and place it into a shatterproof (such as aluminum) bowl of iced water to allow it to cool. You need to make sure the can has cooled completely and is now at room temperature or below before you open the can. (Remember: Upon first removing the can from the cold water, it may feel cooler than the contents. Allow time to make sure the contents of the can aren't still warm enough to heat up the outside temperature of the can.) There! That's the only hard part! Now that you've been sure to have read the above instructions and are certain the can is cool, you're ready to open the can. What you'll see inside is a medium brown clump of caramel like that shown in the picture at the beginning of these instructions. Empty the contents of the can and add the vanilla and half of the milk. Using a whisk or Cuisinart SmartStickTM, whip until syrup is creamy, adding the rest of the milk if necessary to obtain the desired consistency. Caramel Syrup with a Kick: Replace the vanilla with your favorite liqueur, such as Kahlua. Another possibility is to use bourbon-marinated vanilla. Chocolate Caramel Fudge Syrup: Add 1 tablespoon (or more) cocoa to 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Once the cocoa is dissolved, stir the chocolate mixture into 1/4 cup of the caramel syrup. Coffee-Caramel Syrup: Heat 1/4 cup of caramel syrup and then whisk in 1 teaspoon of instant espresso powder. If you prefer a mocha syrup, follow the suggestions for making Chocolate Caramel Fudge Syrup, only also combine instant espresso powder along with the cocoa.
			For a breakfast that's out of this world, top a waffle with banana slices or other fresh fruit, and drizzle with some Creamy Caramel Syrup. Try this with Mag's Belgian (or Otherwise) Waffles.


			Why just settle for a dessert when you can have an easy, yet sensational one? Top a Belgian waffle with a scoop of ice cream. Then drizzle on several different kinds of syrup. The one pictured here has Creamy Caramel with Bourbon Vanilla, Chocolate Fudge, and Coffee-Caramel syrups. The same syrup combination is delicious over a scoop of butter-pecan ice cream served atop a pecan waffle.