One of the desserts I served at my recent holiday party was this Classic Cheesecake. I already had one fully baked in my freezer (it freezes beautifully as long as it is wrapped very well).
I had baked it prior to Thanksgiving just in case I might need it. In a moment of sanity I realized that even for me there comes a point at which the dessert buffet’s cup runneth over so I decided to leave the cheesecake in the freezer for a rainy/snowy (?) day.
Perfect! Now my friends were coming over for a party, and one of the desserts was already made. But since I freeze the cheesecake sans topping, how, I thought, should I serve it?
A raspberry topping was out since fresh raspberries were going to adorn the trifle I had yet to make for the party.
And then it came to me…that sinfully delicious Salted Caramel Sauce that was a component of the Four And Twenty Blackbirds Salted Caramel Apple Pie which I had made for Thanksgiving a year ago might be perfect drizzled over the cheesecake providing a sweet and salty complement to the dense and not overly sweet cheesecake.
Genius! And it gave me a reason to make that decadent sauce which I love to stick a finger in now and then.
It looks so elegant it’s perfect for any holiday buffet.
Even better, you can make the cheesecake and the caramel sauce ahead. The sauce will keep great in the fridge for quite awhile. Just warm the sauce on the stove or in the microwave carefully before drizzling over the slice of cheesecake prior to serving. Yum!
The step by step photos and sauce recipe are in the post referenced above linked to the pie, but for convenience sake here is the recipe for the sauce.
Salted Caramel Sauce
1 cup white sugar
¼ cup water
1 stick (½ cup) fresh unsalted butter
½ cup fresh heavy cream
1 and ½ teaspoon sea salt
(recommended Maldon sea salt flakes, but can substitute a regular sea salt)
To make the salted caramel:
Cook the sugar and water together over low heat until just dissolved. Add the butter and bring to a slow boil. Continue cooking at a low boil until the mixture turns a deep, brown color, almost copper.
Cook’s Note: This process can take awhile depending on the heat source. Keep an eye on it, if the caramel begins to smoke, you’ve burned it and you’ll have to start over.
Once the mixture has turned a copper color, remove it from the heat and immediately add the heavy cream-the mixture will bubble rapidly and steam-be cautious as the sugar will be very hot.
Whisk the final mixture together well over low and sprinkle in the sea salt. If not using immediately, set the caramel aside to cool and then refrigerate covered.