Concentrated orange caramel (vegan)

We love caramel. Sometimes, we even love it more than chocolate. So when we saw this nice little twist, we had to try it right away. Of course, this isn't really caramel (which is made with milk) but it bloody resembles it in all respects. Except the bonus orange tangy sour-ish fresh flavor. Its honest name is orange confit, some jam by-product or variation I remember my mother doing a couple of times too (especially out of quinces). But this is just techno-theoretical detail. Orange caramel is what happens in the magic pot, as you'll see for yourself.

Just arm yourself with a little pot and some patience (this doesn't need much baby sitting, you can go read a book while the sugar and juices thicken and simmer into the delicious caramel) and voila. Orange bliss. 

This has numerous usages: as tea sweetener (our favorite) or as topping for other deserts (like profiterole, ice-cream, puddings, panna cota, pastry windmills etc). 

Recipe adapted from the link above.

Ingredients (for 1 concentrated jar):

• 700 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
• 600 g sugar

First of all, put the juice in the pot over low heat source:

Add the sugar:

Stir very well, then let simmer on low heat for about two hours total. Check on it twice during this time, to gather and discard the foam formed at the surface (and mix again afterwards, of course):

At the end, the concentrated caramel should look like this:

Don't freak out if two hours are up and it's still more liquid than you would expect if this is your first time making caramel or other molten-sugar goodies. It will harden a great deal as it cools off. Just put it in a glass jar and then you can finally lick the spatula, fingers, pot etc. :)