Salted Barley Caramel
A rich, buttery salted caramel infused with deeply toasted black barley, creating subtle espresso-like notes and a complex roasted flavour.
This isn't your average salted caramel. By gently toasting black barley before infusing it into the cream, the grains develop an incredible depth of flavour with remarkable coffee and dark chocolate notes—without adding a single coffee bean. The toasted barley lends the caramel a sophisticated roasted bitterness that perfectly balances the sweetness, while flaky sea salt ties everything together into a silky, luxurious sauce.
It's the kind of caramel you'll find yourself drizzling over everything from ice cream to brownies, stirring through whipped cream, or simply eating by the spoonful. Once you've tasted the subtle espresso-like complexity that toasted black barley brings, ordinary caramel may never quite measure up again.
Serving Suggestions
Drizzle generously over vanilla bean ice cream or gelato.
Spoon over a Burnt Basque cheesecake.
Fill profiteroles or éclairs with whipped cream and salted barley caramel.
Swirl through cheesecake batter before baking.
Pour over sticky date pudding.
Serve alongside apple pie or tarte Tatin.
Fold into whipped cream for an elegant dessert filling.
Stir into hot chocolate for a toasted caramel mocha flavour.
Add to iced coffee or espresso martinis.
Drizzle over waffles, pancakes or French toast.
Layer into trifles and parfaits.
Spoon over poached pears or roasted figs.
Spread between cake layers with mascarpone or buttercream.
Finish brownies or blondies with a glossy drizzle.
Pair with dark chocolate desserts where the roasted barley enhances the cocoa notes.
Gift in sterilised jars as a gourmet homemade edible gift.
Need
- 50 Grams black barley BUY
- 400 Grams water
- 200 Grams dark brown sugar
- 100 Grams butter BUY
- pink salt flakes to taste BUY
- 1-2 Teaspoons vanilla bean paste BUY
Do
- 1
Toast the barley over a fairly high heat until it starts popping and becomes very fragrant. Cool slightly.
- 2
Place into the Thermomix bowl and mill 10 sec/speed 8.
- 3
Add the water and boil 10 min/90°C/speed 4. Allow to steep in the Thermomix bowl until cooled.
- 4
Strain through a nut milk bag and reserve liquid.
- 5
Place sugar, butter and 150g of the black barley liquid (which will be quite thick by now) into the Thermomix bowl and cook 15 min/Varoma/speed 4/MC off
- 6
Add the salt and vanilla and stir 10 sec/speed 4. Taste it, when cool enough, to make sure you have the salt right. Add more if needed.
- 7
Serve with any dessert that needs a caramel sauce, it is awesome over profiteroles, ice cream or custard style desserts.
- 8
This will set quite solid in the fridge and will keep for up to 3 weeks. If frozen, you can keep it for up to 3 months.
Served with
Tenina Holder is a wife, mother of five and grandmother of nine, who started cooking in the olden days before Thermomix was even a thing.
Tenina has become the premium go to source for all Thermomix expertise and of course fresh and easy recipes that work. Her cooking classes and foodie trips are sold out in literally hours, her cookbooks appear on the Australian best seller lists and her social reach is in the millions. Her Insider Club is the most fun you can have with a Thermomix and you really should join her! She believes chocolate, butter and salt are health foods. Her food positivity mantra is, eat everything, just not all at once!
