Dulce De Leche

(pic:ctto)

Ingredients

4 cups (32oz/1000ml) milk
1 ¼ cups ((10oz/300g) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cooking Instructions

1. Stir together milk and sugar in a heavy bottomed saucepan.

2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until caramelized and thickened, about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours.

3. After about an hour, stir more often as milk caramelizes, to avoid burning.

4. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla extract. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

COOKING IN OVEN

INGREDIENTS

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
boiling water

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

1. Open up the can and pour the sweetened-condensed milk into a pie pan. Cover tightly with foil. Place into a larger pan and pour boiling water in a larger pan and around pie plate (level of water should be about halfway up the pie plate). Don't let any water seep up and into the pie plate.

2. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour. At the one hour point, peel off the foil and check for progress. If the mixture has thickened and turned a caramel color, it's done. If it doesn't quite look thick enough or dark enough, cover it up and bake it a little longer (mine took 75 minutes).

3. When the mixture appears to have turned into a nice, thick caramel, remove from the oven. Let sit for a few minutes, and then beat with an electric mixer until smooth.