Repurposing Golden Syrup Remnants into a Delicious Caramel Delight: Recipe

That stubborn syrup residue remaining in the golden syrup tin can be put to excellent use. Rather, turn it into a rich butterscotch sauce ideal for autumn evenings, deliciously splashed on oven-roasted apples accompanied by vanilla ice-cream.

Caramel Sauce with Warm Apples

Apples transform through a beautiful metamorphosis in the oven, turning this hyper-seasonal fruit into an incredibly easy though indulgent dessert. I recommend smaller apple types (preferably compact apples), allowing for one apple per person.

Classic methods that deliver consistent outcomes provide the foundation for this adaptation. Here, I've modified a traditional toffee method to make use of the final remnants from your nearly-empty can, reduced the amount of granulated sugar, and incorporated salt and vanilla extract optionally to intensify the traditional character of English caramel. (The unique carbohydrates in golden syrup are the key for creating an exceptionally smooth caramel sauce, because sugar alone can recrystallise, leaving it grainy.) In absence of golden syrup, light syrup or bee honey perform admirably.

This flexible preparation works with various final courses, from a classic banana split to these baked apples with ice-cream. The hot caramel cascades wonderfully over the warm apples, establishing a delightful combination of tastes, consistencies and thermal contrasts. Keep any excess sauce in an airtight jar in refrigeration for about fourteen days, or for several months in the freezer.

Yields 6-8 servings

Ingredients for Toffee Sauce

• 2-3 tbsp golden syrup (I used the remnants of the can), or glucose syrup or honey
• 180g sugar (light or dark)
• ½ tsp sea salt (coarse salt)
• 150ml double cream (rich cream)
• 50g unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

For the Dessert Apples

• 6 medium dessert apples (baking apples)
• 60g sultanas or raisins (dried fruit)
• 30g sugar
• 30g butter
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• Dairy accompaniment, for serving

Method

To retrieve all remaining syrup from your syrup container, add about 100ml boiling water and, grasping the container in a kitchen towel to shield your fingers, move it circularly and scrape the sides with a utensil until completely empty. Transfer this syrup mixture into a big cooking vessel. (If you're not finishing off your container, just portion multiple measures of liquid gold into the cooking vessel and add 100ml hot water instead.) Add the sugar and sodium chloride, set the pan on a medium heat and swirl (as opposed to stirring) the vessel periodically, until the dry ingredients incorporate.

Allow the mixture to bubble gently without touching it, then, once you see the sugar at the base of the pan start to colour, rotate once more so the combination browns uniformly. Once it's golden brown, take the pan off the flame and gradually add the double cream (the mixture will expand, so maintain distance), then mix to make a smooth sauce. Incorporate the dairy fat and vanilla extract, if using, and mix once more until shiny. Use while warm or move to a container and allow to reach room temperature.

Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5, and extract the central part from the fruit. In a preparation container, mash the dried fruit, granulated substance, spread and spice, then stuff this preparation into the cavity of individual apples. Position every apple in a hole of a muffin tray, to catch all the juices, then bake for twenty-five to thirty minutes, until soft when tested with a testing tool. Serve warm crowned with your homemade sauce and optionally dairy accompaniment.