Caramel/ization

Today I was in a cheesecake kind of mood. More on that later. I was also in a mood to eat inexpensively, though.
Trying to cut down on costs and still cooking a delicious dessert are not mutually exclusive activities, though, especially when the topping drizzled over the cake is a creamy, homemade caramel sauce!
Ever since reading On Food and Cooking--during my brief, brief life as a scientist--I've been fascinated by the chemical reactions that take place during candy making, and caramelization are so complex that they aren't completely understood. But, really, there's no need to understand the science behind candy-making to create a good caramel, even though it's the reason I find baking and candy-making so interesting!

The only thing you really need to know is this: when the sugar melts and gets that deep brown color, it's well over 300˚F. Keep your head well away from the pot and your hands covered with oven mitts while you pour in the cream, or you will end up with nasty burns. And the burning sugar will stick to you. It will be bad.

Ingredients
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup double cream (whipping cream)
4-6 T butter
dash of vanilla or other flavoring (if desired)

Method
1. Pour the sugar into a heavy-bottomed sauce pan and turn the stove on to med-med/high
2. Stir occasionally until the sugar begins to melt. It will look like this:

3. The sugar will quickly get darker as it cooks. Make sure the butter and cream are nearby, and, stirring constantly, pour the cream into the sugar when it reaches a deep, amber brown color.
4. Take the cream/sugar off the heat, stirring constantly, and when the mixture has stopped bubbling furiously, add the butter.
5. Incorporate the butter, and then add any flavorings you'd like.
6. Pour into a mason jar for storage. Reheat to serve if desired.