RED WINE CARAMEL. Leftover brilliance. I am bringing this to you just in time for party season. What better time is there for a really good idea?. This Red Wine Caramel sauce is made from leftover red wine.

Now stop it.

Of course you have Red Wine left over. Well, if you don’t you need to get some because this is a sensational way to re-purpose it. Even the kiddies wont know. OK that bit is a joke. Maybe not give it to the kiddies even though their is no alcohol left in it after cooking. Feeding them red wine on their ice cream may just be a step too far.

Feeding children liqueur

When I was growing up in the 60’s and 70’s there was a little bit of a different slant on parenthood and how far you could actually step. Things were a little more lax.

Consider this for starters there were no baby capsules in cars. Mum beat us with a wooden spoon, and NO ONE wore a bike helmet. There was no internet informing our days so we didn’t know any better, in fact neither did our parents, obviously.

On special occasions some desserts included alcohol, in fact so did some baby bottles. On the occasion, Dad would break out the Creme de Menthe anointing each of our bowls of Ice Cream with the lurid green mentholated spirit. I don’t remember feeling any effects from it, or maybe I just can’t remember – literally.

Anyhoo, it was alright for me but my youngest sister developed a real liking for the stuff. It would gradually disappear and on one such occasion when Dad reached into the buffet, the bottle was bone dry. This caused a number of recriminations and finger pointing.

In the long run though, we knew who to blame. There were four of us and the youngest had also developed a bit of a liking for the sweet Sherry. At our house the Sherry was stored in a lovely decanter, and when lifted, it played “Greensleeves”. At only 7 or 8 she probably enjoyed a little music box tune each time she lifted it for a swig. For a while it had been our secret because a drunken baby sister was a bit funny, until we were lined up and questioned. At such a time there seemed no reason not to squeal and after, special green ice cream was taken from the menu and the decanters stored in a locked cabinet.

How to use Red Wine Caramel

I digress though because this Red Wine caramel is quite the treat. It is so simple and so handy you will wonder why you haven’t made it before. It’s great on ice cream of course but it can also be used as a base for drinks, on cakes and mixed through fresh fruits. Drizzle it onto pavlova or over cream when serving with a tea cake. Why, just the other day we spread our sourdough with peanut butter and spooned this syrup over the top. Heaven on toast.

If you think of any other ways to use it let me know.