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1
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, then place a 4 1/2 by 14-inch flan form in the center of the foil.
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2
With a paper towel, coat the foil and the inside of the flan form with 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil.
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3
Set aside.
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4
In a 4-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar and corn syrup, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula until the mixture comes to a boil (about 5 minutes).
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5
Wash down the sides of the pan two times with a pastry brush dipped in warm water to prevent the sugar from crystallizing.
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6
Place a candy thermometer in the pan, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook the mixture without stirring until it registers 305F on the thermometer (about 15 minutes).
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7
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon of the butter.
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8
Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining tablespoon of butter, a little at a time, keeping the mixture boiling.
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9
In a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream to a boil.
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10
Slowly add the cream to the caramel mixture and continue cooking until the mixture registers 250F on the thermometer (about 10 minutes), stirring vigorously.
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11
Remove the pan from the heat and let it stand for 5 minutes, then stir in the salt and vanilla.
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12
Pour the caramel into the prepared flan ring and let it sit for 8 hours at room temperature.
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13
With the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil, coat a cutting board and the blade of a large chefs knife.
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14
With the knife, loosen and remove the flan form; invert the caramel onto the cutting board, and peel the foil off the caramel.
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15
Cut the caramel into twenty-eight 1/2-inch-wide strips, then cut each strip into four pieces.
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16
In a tightly covered container, between sheets of waxed paper, or wrapped in waxed paper rectangles, the caramels will keep for 2 weeks at room temperature.
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17
Classic Nut Cream Caramels: Add 1 cup roughly chopped nuts to the caramel mixture when adding the salt and vanilla.
