Chef Thomas
Anchovy Sauce
A proper white sauce sharpened with pounded anchovy, the old Georgian trick for waking up a piece of poached fish or a slice of roast lamb on a Sunday in spring.
Culinary Explorer
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Sticky Toffee Sauce
Created by Chef Thomas
A pourable, glossy toffee sauce of muscovado, butter, and cream, the dark, treacly engine of sticky toffee pudding and a quiet revelation poured over vanilla ice cream.
Sauces & Condiments
British
Comfort Food
Dinner Party
5 min
Active Time
10 min cook•15 min total
YieldAbout 400ml, enough for 6 generous puddings
This is a January sauce. The kind of thing that belongs to long evenings, the curtains drawn early, something hot and sweet on the spoon while the rain does whatever rain does outside. It takes ten minutes and three ingredients that probably already live in your kitchen.
There's no real technique here, just attention. Muscovado, butter, and cream, coaxed together over a low heat until they turn into a dark, glossy pour that tastes like the inside of a toffee tin. The treacle is the thing that lifts it from a sweet caramel into something properly grown-up, with that bitter, smoky edge that makes you slow down between mouthfuls. A pinch of salt at the end, no more than that. We're only making dinner.
Without this sauce, a sticky toffee pudding is just a date sponge, decent enough but not the thing it's meant to be. With it, you've got one of the better puddings this country has produced. I wrote it down in the notebook years ago: muscovado, butter, cream, treacle, salt. Five lines. Hasn't changed since.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
dark muscovado sugar
Quantity
150g
unsalted butter
Quantity
100g
cubed
double cream
Quantity
200ml
black treacle
Quantity
1 tablespoon
flaky sea salt
Quantity
pinch
vanilla extract (optional)
Quantity
1 teaspoon
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| dark muscovado sugar | 150g |
| unsalted buttercubed | 100g |
| double cream | 200ml |
| black treacle | 1 tablespoon |
| flaky sea salt | pinch |
| vanilla extract (optional) | 1 teaspoon |
Equipment Needed
- •Heavy-bottomed saucepan
- •Wooden spoon
- •Heatproof jug for serving
Instructions
- 1
Melt sugar and butter
Put the muscovado, butter, and treacle into a heavy-bottomed saucepan over a low heat. Don't rush this. Stir gently with a wooden spoon as the butter melts into the sugar and the whole thing turns into a dark, glossy slick that smells faintly of toffee apples. If the heat is too high, the sugar will catch and turn bitter. Low and patient.
Muscovado is the whole point. Light brown sugar will give you something sweet but flat. Muscovado brings the molasses depth that makes the sauce taste like itself. - 2
Pour in the cream
Once the sugar has dissolved completely and the mixture is smooth, pour in the cream in a steady stream, stirring as you go. It will hiss and seize for a moment, then loosen into a pale caramel-coloured pool. Keep stirring. Don't worry if it looks split or grainy at first. It will come together.
- 3
Simmer until glossy
Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and let it bubble away for three or four minutes, stirring now and then. You're looking for a glossy, slightly thickened sauce that coats the back of the spoon and leaves a clean trail when you draw a finger through it. Trust your eyes here. The colour will deepen from milky beige to a proper rich amber, and the smell will shift from sweet to something deeper and more buttery.
Don't overcook it. The sauce thickens further as it cools, and a sauce that's gluey straight off the hob will be unpourable by the time it reaches the table. - 4
Finish and taste
Take the pan off the heat. Stir in the vanilla if you're using it and a small pinch of flaky salt. Taste it, carefully, it's hot. The salt should be barely there, just enough to stop the sauce being one-note sweet. Pour it warm over sponge, ice cream, or straight into the mouth of someone you like.
Chef Tips
- •Muscovado sugar is non-negotiable. Look for the darkest you can find, the sort that clumps in the bag and smells like Christmas cake when you open it. Light brown sugar will give you a sauce, but not this sauce.
- •Reheat gently. The sauce thickens in the fridge into something almost spreadable. To bring it back, warm it slowly in a pan with a splash of cream or milk and stir until it loosens. Microwaves work in a pinch but tend to bully the texture.
- •It's good on more than pudding. Pour it warm over a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you've made dessert. Spoon it over a slice of banana bread and you've made breakfast. I won't tell anyone.
Advance Preparation
- •The sauce keeps in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to a week. Reheat gently with a splash of cream to loosen.
- •It freezes well for up to two months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and warm through slowly before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 80g)
Calories
375 calories
Total Fat
30 g
Saturated Fat
19 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
9 g
Cholesterol
90 mg
Sodium
30 mg
Total Carbohydrates
28 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
26 g
Protein
1 g
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