From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

Gluten-Free Caramel Sauce

I have only seen a few brands of caramel sauce actually labeled gluten-free, but with far more ingredients than this recipe. Too many ice cream/sweet sauces are based on corn syrup and flavorings.

Summertime, parties, BBQ’s – what’s easier than your favorite brownie, pound cake, sliced with selection of sauces and ice cream or just ice cream sundaes. Everyone loves that!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c sugar (6 oz, 180g)
• 1/4 c (2 fl oz, 60 ml) water
• 1 c heavy cream
• 2 tbsp (30 ml. 1 oz) butter
• 1 tsp (5 ml) gluten-free vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Put sugar in 8″ skillet with water, cover and bring to slow boil while sugar melts. Swirl pan to dissolve all sugar or sugar crystals will form.

2. Once sugar is totally dissolved, remove lid and boil syrup swirling pan as syrup changes color. You want a nice golden brown color, not dark brown. It only takes a few minutes so don’t walk away. The syrup browns at different rates so swirling pan gently mixes it all together. If pan starts smoking, it’s overcooked. Undercooked is tasteless.

3. Add cream and stand back as caramel will spatter, boil up and solidify in places. Stir to dissolve caramel. Add butter, vanilla and salt and stir all together.

4. Sauce will thicken as it cools.

Dairy-free Option: Make with Asian style coconut milk and add coconut butter.

For Adults: To sauce add 1/4 c toasted chopped pecans and 1-2 tbsp rum or other alcohol. Serve with grilled pineapple rings or grilled halved peaches and ice cream, match made in Heaven.

Warning: Don’t make caramel sauce with kids or animals underfoot, sugar burns are really dangerous, plus if you’re distracted, sugar over cooks rapidly and burns, so you have to throw it out.

Gluten-Free Raspberry/Berry Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 x 12 oz – 16 oz (375 – 500g) bag of frozen raspberries or bag of frozen mixed berries
• ½ c (4 oz 125 g) ordinary sugar
• 1/2 c (120 ml, 4 fl oz) water
• ½ c (120 ml, 4 fl oz) Seedless raspberry jam or jelly for extra oomph of flavor
• Raspberry liqueur, Amaretto, brandy, rum for adults.
• Choose different jams and alcohols that match the fruit

Directions:

1. Melt sugar and water together, add raspberries (or other fruit), and simmer for just a few minutes. Stir in raspberry jam until it melts. Depending on ripeness of raspberries and your personal taste you might want to add more sugar.

I like to buy baskets of fresh raspberries in season and freeze them. Somehow they don’t break up nearly as much as bought frozen raspberries when they are simmered in sugar and water.

You can sieve the sauce and make it a ‘couli,’ so there are no seeds.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Ganache

Melt together 1 pint (2 cups) heavy cream and 11 oz bag of Tollhouse semi-sweet chocolate or with Sodelicious vanilla or hazelnut creamer mixed with gluten-free chocolate. I use an immersion blender to make sauce totally smooth. Thicken as it cools, very runny when hot. Add some sugar if too ‘dark’ for kids.

This can also be used as a dipping sauce for fruit.