This ain't no stinkin' caramel!

Cold South American winter days like this make me want to hole up in my apartment all day in my pajamas and bake and watch movies on TNT.  I love the cozy pocket of heat that the oven creates in my tiny kitchen, the smell of sugar and flour and chocolate baking in the early afternoon.

I'm also secretly addicted to eating dough while baking.  It's a problem.  A bad baking habit.  I remember as a child, my mom told me that I would become violently ill by eating too much dough, because of the raw eggs.  To this day, I haven't gotten sick from cookie dough.  I test my boundaries each time I bake by trying just one more little piece, one more tiny piece...

Seeing as how I'm in Argentina, I decided today to make homemade dulce de leche (and besides, you might need it for those alfajores I hope you're going to try!).  It's a seemingly basic idea: heat milk and sugar until it forms a thick, caramely consistency. 

Actually, the Argentines have a story behind the origins of dulce de leche.  The maid of an Argentine governor in the 1800s was preparing her master his sweetened milk, when a visitor came to sign a peace treaty and she accidently left her milk to boil while attending to him.  A few hours later she returned to find a thick, brown paste in place of the milk.  Lo and behold, the governor tried it and liked it, and dulce de leche was born!

Dulce de leche complements almost any dessert-resembling food.  Bananas.  Cake.  Brownies.  Ice cream.  Cookies.  Hell, I've seen it eaten with a spoon straight from the container.  I chose to pair mine this afternoon with a slice of chocolate chip banana bread and a steaming hot mug of Irish coffee.

Now, this is no bake-and-run recipe.  You'll need to be constantly checking your temperature and stirring the milk to keep it from burning.





So pull up a stool to the stovetop, turn on a sappy daytime television movie, and relax as your kitchen fills with the sweet smells of warm milk and sugar. 

Dulce de leche (700g)

4 ¼ cups whole milk

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp. vanilla

½ tbsp. baking soda

1. Combine the milk, sugar, and baking soda in a large pot and bring to a boil.
2. Once the milk begins to boil, bring the heat to medium low, stirring constantly. You should notice a frothy top layer beginning to form.
3. Play with the heat between medium and low to keep a gentle, rolling boil.  Stir often, at least every five minutes, to prevent burning.
4. Once the milk thickens and turns a warm brown color, it should be finished.  Test by taking a spoonful of the milk and pouring it.  It should be harder to pour, but still a liquid consistency. The dulce de leche will harden more once refrigerated.  
5. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Refrigerated, the dulce de leche can be stored for up to three months.