Dulce de Leche and the resulting ice cream...

Ok, so I know that I promised gingersnap ice cream (which I did make, but am still perfecting) in my last post, but my experiments with Dulce de Leche were too photogenic not to share.

BEHOLD!

Perhaps I have not mentioned my deep affection for all things caramelized.  It's true.  From the burnt crust on a lovingly baked ziti to the crispy bottom of a slightly overbaked cookie, purported carcinogens be damned, it's the best.  Dulce de Leche is all creamy caramel taste, like when you're a kid and you get a caramel apple that you lick until all the soft sugar is gone and you are a sticky disaster (then toss the fruit, naturally).  Maybe I only did that ... moving on ...

I used David Lebovitz's recipe (found here) for oven-made Dulce de Leche.  I like to think that I'm brave in the kitchen, but the idea of exploded caramel goo all over the countertops as the result of a neglected can wasn't terribly appealing.  So, to the oven!  The taste of sea salt in the condensed milk really makes a difference.  I'm making some at the moment, and I sprinkled some cinnamon in the uncooked milk.  I'll post and mention if it's worth the trouble.  It's perfect on its own though, and I really want to find the goat's milk condensed milk that they mention on David Lebovitz's site; that sounds so interesting - tangy and caramel sweet!

The second half of the equation is the vanilla custard ice cream I've been working on.  I obtained some vanilla beans from Beanilla for a pretty good price (certainly better than the grocery store - $14 for just two dried up old pods!).  I'd never used them before, but I think the slightly pungent black specks still stuck to the sink - sorry, got distracted by alliteration - are totally worth the trouble.  A recipe you ask?  With pleasure:

French Vanilla Ice Cream (about a quart)

1 cup of milk

1/2 cup white sugar

2 heaping tablespoons of brown sugar

1 vanilla bean, scraped up

2 egg yolks, mixed up a bit

2 cups of cream

1 tablespoon of good vanilla extract

1. Pour the milk in a small saucepan and heat until little bubbles just start to form.  Constant vigilance not necessary, but very nearly so.
2. Once the milk is heated, add all the sugar, the vanilla bean pod, and the bean scrapings and stir until the sugar is fully dissolved.
3. Pour a little bit of the milk mixture, about 1/4 of it, into the eggs, stirring vigorously and constantly.  If the egg starts to curdle, you're screwed - so be careful and go slowly! Stream the rest of the milk into the eggs until they are incorporated together without incident.
4. Return egg/milk liquid to the saucepan on medium heat.  Keep stirring!
5. The mixture will, after about 10 minutes, maybe slightly more, begin to thicken nicely.  It should coat the back of a spoon and keep the line when you draw your finger across the back of the spoon.  
6. Turn off the heat, but let the custard sit in the pot for a little while longer, until its cool.  In my experience, this helps the vanilla flavor develop a little more.  
7. When cool, strain through a fine mesh sieve to get out the pod and any little bits of curdled egg.  Mix in the cream and vanilla, then pop it all in the fridge for a good rest - at least 4 hours.  Sometimes I'll make it right away, but its always better when it sits in the fridge to mellow.
8. Run it through your machine according to manufacturer's instructions!  Yea!  

Ok, the trick now is to let the ice cream harden for about two hours in the freezer before layering with the Dulce de Leche.  If the ice cream is not hard enough, the dulce will sink to the bottom, bummer.  Once it is frozen, but still soft, layer the ice cream (about 1/3 of it at a time) with two good spoonfuls of the dulce between each layer.  Take a long wooden spoon, and gently agitate it to mix it all up and get nice swirls.  Don't get me wrong, this ice cream is great on its own, but don't you want ... THIS:

I think we both know the answer to that question.