Well, if you’re a fan of cream soda it’s not gross. If you are a normal human being, it’s just as gross as the regular stuff.
(C’mon – I can’t be the only normal human being here, can I?)
The syrup recipe is here, and the video I followed is at the end. You just need sugar, water, lemon juice and vanilla. Wait, I’m sorry: organic sugar, water, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and a vanilla bean. (This is artisanal soda syrup.)
It’s a relatively simple process, even if you, like me, have never caramelized sugar before. (Or maybe I have – I don’t have a good memory, y’know.). In the video. Martha is using a wet brush to wash the sugar crystals back down into the boiling mass. I wondered why, and I found out. After the sugar and water has reached the right temperature (280), stirring it with a spatula and knocking the crystals into the caramel makes the whole thing seize up. Zionks!
I would have been upset it I weren’t going to just dissolve it in water again. It worked out just fine.
The organic sugar and eight dollar vanilla bean were fun to use, but the next batch will be made with regular stuff. (In the store, the checkout girl asked me what I was going to use the vanilla bean for. I answered, “A reeeaaalllly expensive experiment.” )
Lloyd didn’t even mind drinking the expensive artisanal bits. He’s a good sport,
Brad says
That’s very cool. And can you just turn caramelized sugar into caramel? Because mmm… caramel…
I’ve never known how to pronounce artisanal. Here’s what I found:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJgYN3DYLTM
Lauren says
I don’t know. I think regular caramel (which I think has too many ‘a’s in it) has butter or cream in it. More research!
Peggy says
Excellent! Did you have to use the whole vanilla bean for just one batch?
I love the bottles on Martha’s site. You should totally bottle your own creations. Because surely you aren’t going to stick to recipes, right?
Lauren says
Yes, it was the whole bean for one measly batch. I have some nice vanilla I’d use next time. And I think the organic sugar is a bit much, too. I can’t imagine that it tastes any different once it’s caramelized.
Lloyd says
I can confirm that it tastes, more or less, like cream soda. I think it is a little too sweet, but so is Lauren.*
*Lauren is only sweet if you are 3-4 years old.