Bubbling sugar… HANDS OFF!

Don’t worry, clumps will dissolve.

4oz Mason Jars are perfect for sharing!

The Creative Community

The dust barely had a chance to settle on my half unpacked boxes when I noticed a bunch of ladies strolling down my street, laughing, pointing (more on this later), and what’s that- are those shopping bags??? My curiosity peeked. I headed to the curb to see where the ladies were going. I noticed the home 4 doors down seemed to be having an open house of some kind, and there was a sign out front. So I moseyed on down just to see what the excitement was all about, and found a sign proclaiming that a holiday craft fair had landed squarely on our street, and just our street. What luck!   Do some holiday shopping AND I get to peek into some of my new neighbors homes? Sign me up!

Five of my crafty neighbors opened their homes and put their artistic and creative talents on display. Jewelry, embellished crosses, purses, etc. and oh yes, Caramel Sauce. I chatted with the home owner/crafters and found that I had entered a creative community. These were not the business people I had expected to be my neighbors. These were creative spirits. These were my people.   Before they even began to tell me about their creative creations for the fair, they first shared the story of their historic home.

How to be Neighborly: Be prepared to share the history of your home. When was it built? What style is it? How many people have lived there? What’s original, what’s not? You must tell this story to everyone who enters your home.

I clearly had some research to do on my own home. I put that on my to do list, which I knew I wouldn’t get to for a while. At least I had the caramel sauce to remind me… this is my version of the craft fair special.  Make, share, enjoy!

Bourbon Salted Caramel Sauce

• 1 c sugar
• 3 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp corn syrup
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 c heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1.5 Tbsp whiskey (*)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp salt

Combine sugar, water, corn syrup, and vanilla in heavy medium saucepan. Stir ingredients to combine and place on stove top over medium-high heat. DO NOT STIR.   Allow mixture to boil until syrup turns deep amber color, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with wet pastry brush, about 10 minutes (time will vary). Remove from heat. Pour in cream (cream will make the sugar solid and mixture will bubble vigorously). Continue to stir to melt the solid sugar into the cream. Mix in butter, bourbon, cinnamon, and salt. Cool sauce completely. Pour into a mason jar. Makes three 4oz mason jars. Seal and refrigerate. (Can be made 2 weeks ahead.)

Serve with hard salty Cheese (like Noord Hollander Aged Gouda). Yes, I said cheese. Try it. You’ll love it. If not, there’s always ice cream.

(*) I keep Evan Williams Whiskey on hand for all my baking and cooking needs. It has a strong Whiskey flavor, and is relatively inexpensive.