Salty Caramel

As a teen, Jeni loved learning from the French pastry apprentices at La Chatelaine, the Columbus bakery where she worked. One chef regaled her with stories of the “salty” caramel from his hometown in Brittany. What the chef meant to say was salted caramel. But, lost in translation, Jeni interpreted his version as extra-salty, like Scandinavian licorice—saltier than standard salted caramel.

 

So when she began making ice cream a few years later, in 1996, Jeni made a burnt sugar ice cream with vanilla and a heavy pinch of sea salt. What she imagined this salty French caramel tastes like. It was an instant hit. Now considered Jeni’s signature, we still make it the same way we always have—by caramelizing sugar in a kettle over fire. It’s a dangerous method that requires a lot of precision, but it’s worth it. This is why our caramel has such a beautiful, nutty quality. Adding milk and cream enhances the butteriness of the caramel.