Where caramel was born...

Ed Alcock for The New York Times

Everything I've read about making salted caramels points to Brittany in the northwest coastal region of France.That's confirmed again in this recent New York Times piece on the a few of the remaining caramel makers in that area. Once upon a time there were any number of shops that specialized in handmade caramels au beurre salé but nowadays only a few remain and of those even fewer are still making caramels by hand. But all seem to confirm that the highest quality ingredients are key and on that we all agree. The Hudson Valley cream and butter that we use here at Cooper Street Kitchen is superb and we still use do it all by hand. I like to think that the taste and texture of our caramel would compare favorably with what is made in the old country, but the best way to find out for sure would be to go there and taste for myself. Caramel tour, anyone?