Let's keep this leche train rolling with another recipe from the Good Eats episode "Milk Made". Dulce de leche. Milk caramel! Yum! I was quite intrigued by this application when I first saw Alton Brown prepare it on my television. I wanted to try it, but for some reason I hesitated. I really don't know why it took me so long to finally make this smooth, rich, creamy, milky, caramelly sweet concoction; but I do know it won't take me so long to make it again.
Dulce de leche was really quite foreign to me. I had seen dulce de leche flavored ice cream, cheesecake, and coffee, but none of them ever seemed enticing enough for me to try. At the time, I really didn't know what it was. After seeing the Good Eats episode, I finally knew what it was, but still not determined to try it. Still, I could not escape the thought of it. Maybe it was the shot of Alton eating it by the spoonful that kept it fresh in my mind.
I have never had dulce de leche before this, so I really have nothing to compare it to. It was easy and simple to make, albeit a little time consuming. The recipe calls for basic household ingredients and I must admit that added a little vanilla extract when it was done reducing instead of using a vanilla bean. I am happy with the results, even though I have just eaten it drizzled over ice cream or cream puffs. I can definitely see how Alton could eat it by the spoonful. I look forward to expanding the use of it next time I make it, though. Perhaps I will make a dulce de leche cheesecake of my own.
Dulce de Leche
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
Printable Recipe
Ingredients
1 quart whole milk
12 ounces sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Directions
Combine the milk, sugar, vanilla bean and seeds in a large, 4-quart saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the baking soda and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered at a bare simmer. Stir occasionally, but do not re-incorporate the foam that appears on the top of the mixture. Continue to cook for 1 hour. Remove the vanilla bean after 1 hour and continue to cook until the mixture is a dark caramel color and has reduced to about 1 cup, approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to a month.
