dulce de leche

I'm holed up at home due to extremely cold temperatures outside, snow and slush on the ground, and I've just held my first wedding cake consultation and cake tasting for 2012 with the sweetest bride & groom. One of their "tasting" requests was for dulce de leche. Dulce de leche??? No problem!!! You can easily buy it pre-made but it's just as easy (and tastier) if you make it yourself. 


There are a few ways to make dulce de leche, but I really prefer using the oven method. But if you want to try others, check it out here. Again, it's super easy and the outcome is the most caramely-milky-gooey-goodness.....


Dulce de Leche


INGREDIENTS

one 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk ***Please do not confuse yourself and use evaporated milk. It's not the same thing and you'll be very sad.***
pinch of kosher salt


Preheat your oven to 425˚F.


Pour the sweetened condensed milk into an oven-proof dish. I use a glass Pyrex pie pan. Sprinkle with kosher salt and tightly cover it with foil.


Place the covered dish in a larger roasting pan and fill it up with water until it reaches three quarters up the sides of the covered dish to create a water bath. Bake for 60 - 120 minutes checking every 30 minutes on the water level and add more as needed. 


Dulce de leche is ready when it takes on a brown and caramel-like color. Remove from the oven and whisk until smooth. Let cool completely before storing in the frig.

My 10 favorite ways to enjoy dulce de leche:
1. stirred into a cup of coffee
2. drizzled on top of a cappuccino or latte
3. mixed in an iced coffee
4. mixed in hot chocolate
5. sandwiched between two shortbread cookies
6. on toast
7. on pound cake
8. on pancakes/waffles
9. on ice cream
10. or simply with a spoon

alfajores

Not stroopwafels, but alfajores.....My friend Dave is on a European tour with Sondre Lerche and he just happens to be in one of my most favorite places on earth, Amsterdam. At the Albert Cuypmarkt in the Pijp, you can find a vendor selling fresh stroopwafels oozing with the most delicious caramel filling. I know alfajores are not stroopwafels, but the dulce de leche filling in alfajores have similar oozing qualities...

Alfajores
makes 2 dozen
COOKIE:
1 ½ cup (3 sticks) unsalted butter – @ room temp

1 ¼ cup powdered sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 cups cornstarch

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

pinch of salt

FILLING: Dulce de Leche
either store bought or homemade ***I'm a totally freaked out by boiling a whole can of sweetened condensed milk in a pot of water on your stovetop, so I prefer David Lebovitz's
technique for making it from scratch and I add rum to taste or vanilla extract to mine***

1 c. dried unsweetened, toasted coconut

Powdered sugar or melted chocolate

Combine cornstarch, flour, and a pinch of salt in a bowl.

Cream butter, sugar, and zest.  Add eggs 1 @ a time. Add vanilla and lemon juice. Add dry ingredients until it forms a ball.  ***Dough will be very sticky***

If possible half dough and place onto plastic wrap. Using plastic wrap, shape into a disk and refrigerate 1 hour.

Preheat oven 350˚. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

On a floured surface, roll out dough approximately 3/16 inch thick.  Cut out with 2-inch cookie cutter.  Place onto parchment lined cookie sheets.***They do not loose their shape so you can space them ½ - 1 in apart***

Bake for 9 – 12 minutes. The cookies will look quite pale.  Cool on rack.  Dust cookies with powdered sugar.  Spread one side of cookie with Dulce de Leche and sandwich together.  ***Be a little generous with the filling so that it oozes out a little when sandwiched together*** Roll sides in toasted coconut or dip in melted chocolate.