Salted caramel candies

Line a cake pan with oiled parchment and have all tools ready; once the caramel starts, never walk away.

Cube the salted butter and add fleur de sel. Scrape the vanilla bean and heat the heavy cream with the seeds and the pod; cover and let infuse.

Dry caramel: cook a third or half of the sugar on medium-high heat; when it begins to melt, stir with a spatula or whisk every so often until amber.

Repeat with the remaining sugar and cook to a deep amber with no lumps. Reduce the heat; the candy thermometer should read 345F, 175C, and it begins to smoke.

Turn off the burner and pour in the hot cream; turn the heat back on and cook to 250F, 120C.

Turn off the heat and add the butter and fleur de sel.

Pour into the lined pan and leave undisturbed at least two hours, overnight best.

Cut the block into squares or rectangles with a very sharp knife, about 10 grams each.

To serve on a platter, sprinkle fleur de sel on top; otherwise wrap each caramel, unsalted on top, in wax paper.