Skye Gyngell: Melt's salted caramel filling for chocolate

Makes 20 portions of sauce, or filling for 75 chocolates

This can be used over ice-cream, as an accompaniment to chocolate cake or as a filling for chocolate shells.

165ml/51/2fl oz double cream
1 vanilla pod
A large pinch of sea salt
90g/31/5oz demerara sugar
70g/3oz white caster sugar
120g/4oz butter

Bring the cream, vanilla and salt to the boil, take off the heat and leave to infuse for 10 minutes. Mix the two sugars. Place a pan over a medium heat and pour in the sugar slowly until it all caramelises; a medium-brown colour gives a sweet caramel taste, a darker brown will taste more bitter. Reduce the heat and add the hot cream slowly, stirring gently all the time. Add the butter and stir. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and leave to cool. Reheat to use as a topping for ice-cream, or use cold as a filling for chocolate shells. Reduce or increase the salt according to taste.