Salted Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 (6-inch) vanilla bean pod, split lengthwise
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups cold heavy whipping cream

Steps

1. Scrape out the vanilla bean seeds and reserve them. In a 3-quart stainless steel saucepan, bring the sugar, water, salt and emptied vanilla pod to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a fork. Continue boiling over medium-high without stirring, swirling the pan occasionally, until light amber, 8 to 9 minutes. Take off the heat and quickly stir in the cold cream with a rubber spatula; expect the mixture to bubble.
2. Return the saucepan to medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer reads 225°F, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the reserved vanilla seeds. Pour the caramel into a heatproof jar and let it cool to room temperature, about 2 hours, before sealing and refrigerating for up to 1 month. For immediate use, cool only until just warm, about 1 hour, before serving.