Dry Caramel (Swirl, Don't Stir)

A dry caramel - sugar melted with no added water - gives a deeper, faster, more intense flavour than a wet caramel, which is exactly what you want when the caramel has to carry a whole dessert. Use a heavy, scrupulously clean pan and melt granulated sugar over medium heat. Resist the urge to stir, which encourages crystallisation; instead swirl the pan gently so the sugar melts evenly to a deep amber. Take it just past golden for a bittersweet edge, then kill the heat and whisk in butter and warmed dairy off the heat - it will spit, so add slowly and steadily. Finish with flaky salt to keep the sweetness in check. The judging chamber singled out Ciaran's corn caramel as the highlight of the plate.