Repurposing Liquid Gold Dregs into a Delicious Toffee Sauce: Step-by-Step Instructions

The persistent sticky remnant left behind in your classic syrup can can be put to excellent use. In fact, repurpose it into a rich butterscotch sauce perfect for autumn evenings, deliciously poured over oven-roasted apples accompanied by creamy ice cream.

Butterscotch Sauce with Warm Apples

Apples transform through a magical transformation during baking, turning this seasonal ingredient into a super-simple but luxurious sweet treat. I recommend smaller apple types (preferably compact apples), enabling you to serve one apple per person.

Classic methods that deliver reliable results form the basis for this adjusted recipe. For this purpose, I've adjusted a traditional toffee method to make use of the stubborn residue from your nearly-empty can, decreased the quantity of sugar, and included flaky salt and vanilla if desired to intensify the quintessential taste of traditional butterscotch. (The invert sugars in treacle alternative are essential for producing a perfectly creamy toffee sauce, as regular sugar can form crystals, creating a sandy texture.) If you don't have the specific sweetener, glucose syrup or bee honey also work well.

This versatile sauce pairs beautifully with all manner of desserts, from ice cream sundaes to warm fruit desserts accompanied by frozen treats. The hot caramel melts seductively over the warm apples, establishing a delightful juxtaposition of tastes, textures and thermal contrasts. Preserve remaining caramel in a closed vessel in refrigeration for about fourteen days, or for multiple months in frozen storage.

Yields 6-8 servings

For the Toffee Sauce

• 2-3 tbsp golden syrup (I used the residue of the can), or corn syrup or natural honey
• 180g sugar (light or dark)
• ½ tsp sea salt (flaky salt)
• 150ml double cream (heavy cream)
• 50g unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (if desired)

For the Apples

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

Instructions

To extract the final remnants from your syrup container, pour in about hot water and, grasping the container in a cloth to protect your hand, swirl it around and remove residue with a scraper until clean. Tip this sweet liquid into a large pan. (If you're not finishing off a tin, simply measure multiple measures of the sweetener into a pan and include heated liquid instead.) Sprinkle in the sugar and salt, position the vessel on moderate temperature and gently move (as opposed to stirring) the vessel occasionally, until the sweet and salty components dissolve.

Let the preparation to boil softly without disturbing it, then, once you see the sugar at the base of the pan start to darken, rotate once more so the combination caramelises evenly. After achieving rich hue, remove the vessel from the flame and carefully pour in the rich dairy (the caramel will bubble up, so step away), then mix to create a creamy preparation. Introduce the butter and vanilla extract, if including, and mix once more until lustrous. Serve hot or move to a container and allow to reach room temperature.

Preheat your oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5, and extract the central part from the apples. In a bowl, mix together the sultanas, sweetener, butter and spice, then press this mixture into the hollow of every fruit. Sit each apple in individual muffin cups, to collect escaping liquids, then bake for twenty-five to thirty minutes, until tender when pierced with a sharp implement. Offer freshly baked crowned with your homemade sauce and perhaps some ice-cream.