Dulce de Leche

Dulce de Leche is a Latin American sweet spread. It is basically caramelized milk, cooked until thick and sticky. This divinely sweet treat has many uses. The most common way, is to have it on buttered toast for breakfast, with a cup of café con leche (milky coffee). Pastry cooks also like to use it in cakes and pastries. My grandmother uses it to fill crepes. She used to also make ice cream with it. I just like to have it around so I can attack it with a spoon and stuff it straight into my mouth, whenever I need sweetness and comfort.
A commercial product is available from South Amreican delis, but in my opinion is not as good, and it is better to make your own. Some people prefer, for convinience to boil unopened cans of condensed milk until it turns into a product which is similar. Why? I ask. It does not cost much less or take less time than the traditional method, so why bother? All that is involved in the traditional way, is to simmer milk and sugar, until the right consistency has been reached. It is not rocket science, and far safer than boiling unopened cans. I have heard freakish horror stories of hot caramel explosions in peoples kitchens. There is nothing glamorous or convenient about scrapping caramel from the kitchen ceiling and curtains. And I guess you would not be needing that laser peel anymore, after the hot caramel has burnt your face off!
Call me old fashioned, but I am sticking to tradition here.


Ingredients
1 litre of milk (I use goats milk, but cow is fine)
300g sugar
1 scant tsp of baking soda
1 fresh vanilla bean

Method
In a large saucepan, combine the milk, sugar and baking soda.
Bring to the boil and then lower the heat to the lowest setting.
Cook very, very gently for about 2 hours, stirring every now and then. You can lay a wooden spoon across the saucepan to prevent the mix from spilling over.
It is ready when it is thick and brown, like caramel fudge. Remove from the heat.
Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add to the “dulce”.
It will keep indefinitely in the fridge. I like to store mine in a sterilized jar, but a plastic container will do just as well. Makes about 1 cup.