Caramel Sauce

Have the cream ready by the stove so it's at hand when you need it. Put 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a heavy, nonreactive saucepan and put the pan over medium-high heat. When sugar is melted around the edges and starts to turn amber in places (about 2 minutes), stir the mixture gently and add another 2 tablespoons sugar to the pan.

Add the remaining sugar 2 tablespoons at a time, stirring as needed and allowing most of the sugar to melt before adding more. Watch carefully as the sugar darkens, stirring gently so it melts evenly.

When the caramel becomes a dark mahogany color, remove the pan from heat and immediately but slowly pour the cream into the pan. (The mixture will steam and bubble up, so wear oven mitts and long sleeves to avoid splatters and steam burns.) When the bubbling subsides, gently stir to completely blend the cream into the caramel. If lumps of hardened caramel remain in the pan, just put the pan over low heat and stir until the caramel is melted.

Stir in the salt and let cool until just warm. (The sauce will stay extremely hot for quite a while.) If not using within a few hours, transfer to a container to refrigerate. Rewarm before using.